Tips for Increasing Your Golf Cart’s Speed

While you may not have purchased your golf cart with plans to break any high-speed records, there are instances where you’d benefit from going a bit faster. Many golf cart owners are hoping to get a little more pep out of their vehicles, which is especially useful when riding around your community. Read our tips for increasing your golf cart’s speed, then stop by and see us at Beech Creek Golf Carts. We’re located in Cincinnati, OH, near Dayton. Click here to check out our golf cart inventory!

What’s a Good Speed for a Golf Cart?

If you’re about to purchase your first golf cart, you might be wondering about the right speed for this type of vehicle. Considering that golf carts are much different than passenger vehicles, the parameters aren’t the same. For example, golf carts designed for use around the course usually max out at about 15 mph. Most manufacturers will caution owners not to exceed 25 mph.

Golf carts are tall and narrow, which means they’re more susceptible to tipping over at high speeds. This is especially true when navigating uneven or rugged terrain. Additionally, these vehicles are equipped with small, economical engines that can only work so hard. If you go overboard when increasing your golf cart’s speed, you could put too much strain on the engine.

Speeding Up an Electric Golf Cart

So, how do you properly and safely increase your golf cart’s speed? If it’s an electric model, you’ll need to determine what type of system it has. Refer to the owner’s manual to find out whether your model has a shunt or a series system. This information may also be available online.

If it’s a shunt system, the engine is separate from the field circuit. This allows them to function independently of each other. All you’ll need to do is program a new speed parameter, which means you won’t have to upgrade any parts.

If it’s a series system, the engine is an all-in-one system. Remember that any performance upgrade must consider every part of the engine. This could be tricky as you may have to replace the motor, controller, cables, solenoid, even the forward/reverse switch to increase your golf cart’s speed. As you might’ve guessed, it’s best to leave this project to a professional.

Speed up a Gas Golf Cart

When you’re dealing with a gas model, you’ll need to take a different approach to increase your golf cart’s speed. The easiest way to do this is to remove the governor, which is a part that limits your vehicle’s speed by setting a numeric limit to how much the throttle can be opened. As you may know, opening the throttle lets more air into the engine, which increases the overall speed.

Another option to consider is replacing the air filter with one that offers a higher flow. This will ensure that more air is pushed into the intake system, which also helps increase the overall speed. Fortunately, both of these upgrades are relatively simple.

We hope our tips for increasing your golf cart’s speed have been useful. If you have any additional questions, contact the team at Beech Creek Golf Carts in Cincinnati, OH, for assistance. We also serve Lexington, KY.