Golf Cart Lift Kit (Troubleshooting Guide)

Table of Contents

Problems with lifted EZGO golf carts

The most common problems experienced with lifted EZGO golf carts is swaying of the golf cart and steering instability.

When you lift your golf cart or let your cart work harder than its capacity, it leads the cart to wear and tear on the cart’s motor and engine. But overall, it does not ruin your cart but reduces longevity.

Here are some other common problems of a lifted EZGO cart:

Compatibility with Tires:

The EZGO golf carts are designed to fit its specific tires. Lifting comes with bigger tires. This is why the cart’s performance can be jeopardized in many ways, such as more strain on the cart motor.

Swaying:

The cart starts swaying from full speed up to a point when controlling steering becomes a severe problem.

Instability:

After lifting the golf cart, it becomes precarious. Controlling steering becomes a Challenge unless you drive slow, gas production increases, batteries become unable to hold the charge for long.

Why is my lifted golf cart swaying?

When you lift your golf cart, the tire size also increases, which is why lots of inconveniences can occur, including over-swaying. It happens because after lifting, generally, the weight of the backside becomes higher than the front side.

Here is a list of things you can do to control the swaying:

Upgrade rear springs or maybe the front springs, depending on the situation
Add wheel spacers
Change shocks
Realign the cart in case the lifting or wheel changing caused changes in alignment
Adjust the toe

How to Fix an unstable lifted EZGO RXV golf cart

Lifting a golf cart brings pleasure as well as lots of headaches. This is why, as a solution, I made a list of general fixes of an unstable lifted EZGO RXV golf cart.
Bigger tires can make the ride unstable. Try to keep the tire pressure in control.
Maybe it’s time when you need new batteries with higher capacity.
Change the type of your tires according to the path you usually drive your cart.
Parts are not loosened and properly aligned.
Have you driven the cart for a while after lifting? Then maybe the motor is damaged as that is not used to working this hard. Scrutinize the motor and make sure it is alright.

Why is my golf cart lift kit not level?

Sagging leaf springs or using the wrong size of tires can cause a golf cart lift kit to not be level.

A lifted golf cart can not be level if you are not using pieces of different lift kits instead of a complete kit. A problem with the alignment after lifting the cart can also cause the golf cart to not be level.

Here are a few things you can do in this situation:

Make sure that the leaf spring is not sagging.
If you see a gap among the driver side’s front tire and straight edge, adjust the Heim’s joints. Then check the camber if it is still off then now change the second Heim joint. It should fix your issue.
Adjust the toe in or out.
Sometimes the wrong choice of tires, wheels can cause this kind of issue. Add custom tires depending on the regular path of your driving.

How to measure the lift on a golf cart

You can measure the lift at the centre of the spindle or axle.

Take a measuring tape and hold its beginning point at the ground.
Now pull it up to the bottom of the floorboard.
Can you see the distance? That’s the height of your cart’s lift.

But don’t forget to measure the ground clearance once, before the lifting; only then it will be easy to understand.

Advantages of lifting a golf cart

The advantages of using a lift kit on your golf cart is an increase in speed and an increase in ground clearance.

You need to understand the advantages of lifting a golf cart so that you can make the decision confidently.

The ground clearance increases. A larger ground clearance on your golf cart allows it to miss hazards on the roads like rocks, bumpers and tree stumps which could normally damage your golf cart.
Lifting provides your cart with an additional speed.
A lifted golf cart is much better when it comes to carrying quite a few people or an extra load.
The overall look of your cart will completely change. Using a lift kit is cheap method of altering the design of your golf cart.

Disadvantages of lifting a golf cart

Before increasing the ground clearance of a golf cart, you should be aware of a few downside facts.

A higher golf cart could be problematic for older people or your children.
From safety, the height can be a subject of concern; for example, a higher golf cart moves faster, so there is a risk factor when you turn a corner.
You may face issues with wear and tear.
There is always a risk factor remains about the cart tires as in the first place, your cart tires are built for a lower or standard cart.
A higher golf cart will use more gas and battery power, which is more than the capacity of your standard cart’s motor and batteries.

Recommended height of a lifted golf cart

Here we are going to talk about a 6′ lift kit for reference:

If you are buying a right lift kit, then 6′ will lift your cart 6″. And now, if you go for (22″–18″)=4″ stock, then the tire will require an additional height lift of 4″/2=2″. The golf cart’s current height+ lifting height+additional tire height = the total new height of your cart.

3 inch Vs 6 inch golf cart lift

Here are the main three differences between 3″ and 6″ golf cart lifts.

6″ offers much higher lift than 3″, which means the size of the tires will also increase with more inches.
22 ATV tires provide much more stability than 23or 25 ATV tires. So it’s your decision now.

Drop Axle Vs Spindle lift kit

Choosing a proper lift kit is truly a matter of preference. But still, if you feel confused, here I have mentioned the critical differences between Drop axle lift kits and spindle lift kits:

Golf cart spindle lift kits are the most popular ones, providing facilities like easy installation, wide stances, increased stability, fantastic quality, etc.
Golf axle lift kits are not mush luxurious.
With the accessible installation facility, spindle lift kits take less time to install than axle lift kits.
Drop axle has a more robust set up than spindle kits.

Madjax Vs Rhox lift kit

Madjax and Rhox are both quite reputed brands of golf cart lift kits. But there are some individual differences:

The Rhox is an expensive lift kit, and the Madjax lift kit is quite affordable.
Rhox is worth its product depending on its price, as it contains all the essentials you may need while lifting the cart and you will get all the high-quality products in it.

On the other hand, Madjax is known as one of the leading brands of golf cart lift kits. Every accessory of the Madjax lift kit are made with great attention to detail, but sometimes you may find a few parts missing from some kits.

Sometimes the Rhox lift kit is hard to use on the standard golf cartwheels.

Some fitting problems with Madjax kits have been reported lately; other than that, Madjax makes the rides smooth and provides excellent handling.

Installation is much easier with Rhox lift kit than with Madjax kits.

Rhox Vs Jakes lift kits

Both Rhox and Jake’s lift kit package includes all the essentials you need. Which is why, to make your choice easier, I have made a list of some of their fundamental differences. Have a look:

Rhox golf cart lift kits are made with cast steel, robust materials, but Jakes cannot bit Rhox in term of quality.
Rhox is expensive than any other golf cart lift kits.

Jakes provides excellent quality products at a great affordable price.

Within such a lower price, Jakes offers you easy installation.

Sometimes it’s hard to work with Rhox on the standard golf cartwheel; other than that, it is also relatively easy to install

A minimal framework is required with Jake’s lift kit.

All Sports Vs Jakes lift kits

All Sports lift kit is more expensive than Jake’s
Mostly Jake’s offers you high-quality fit.

Fitting reports of All Sports lift kit are not as consistent as the Jakes’.

All Sports is relatively easy to install

You may find a little difficulty with Jakes A-arm.

All Sports lift kit accessories are made with top-notch design and innovation. Additionally, custom design is also available with All Sports.

Jake’s lift kit accessories work amazingly for its price range. But as you know, overall quality always depends on the price range.

EZGO RXV lift kit troubleshooting

Lift kits can be helpful in many ways, but most of the time, the downsides leave users questioning their decisions.

It’s often reported that many EZGO RXV golf carts can became unstable after lifting.

Golf cart owners are finding it hard to control the steering of the golf cart after lifting it. This is also a safety concern when you cannot drive a cart properly.

Here are a few things you can do:

Adjust the toe-in
Change the front end alignment.
May be smaller tires and wheels can help you.
Add HD rear springs. It can solve all the backside problems of your cart occurring after lifting.

EZGO TXT lift kit troubleshooting

According to some research, most people reported that the tie rod extenders graze the inner side of the front tires of their golf cart after lifting. If you are facing similar problems, take a look at the following troubleshooting,

Bring new stock tires which are not bigger than the standard size.
Wheel spacers may also help.

Sometimes, CV overheating also becomes an issue after lifting. Your standard EZGO TXT golf cart motor is not used to such hard work. Maybe you have adjusted to such issues.

EZGO Marathon lift kit troubleshooting

After the EZGO Marathon lift kit, you have to follow two simple things to achieve a much smoother rides:

Try 2″ wheel spacers and 11″ wide tires at the rear. It’s just a standard size recommendation. With this size, your driving will be much more comfortable even after lifting.
If you have used a Jake’s lift kit, then you have to use a 3:5 offset. It can save you from buying spacers.

Other than that, the EZGO Marathon lift kit fits perfectly, according to most of the users. If we talk about battery usage and production, maybe it’s your turn not to be over-hard in your cart.

EZGO Gas golf cart lift kit troubleshooting

After lifting EZGO gas golf carts, springs and shocks are the two things which get affected, and their performance deteriorated severely.

Springs are responsible for the deflection on the suspension, and shocks help by slowing down the deflection. After lifting, their performance falls, and in the end, the overall cart becomes unstable.

Always employ high sidewall tires.
Don’t forget to buy tires with low pressure.
Check the springs are holding the weight. Therefore the shocks will be able to smooth the spring bounce.

Club Car DS lift kit troubleshooting

A Club Car DS wasn’t made to be lifted. This is why it’s common to experience problems after lifting this golf cart.

Make sure your cart has enough horsepower and ensure that, after lifting, your club car is still working with the original power capabilities.
No matter what tires you were using before lifting, now your car needs much more capable tires.
Remember, after lifting your club car, there is extra pressure on the batteries. Not being extra hard on them should be your priority.

Other than the above precautions/troubleshooting, there is not much to mention.

Club Car Precedent lift kit troubleshooting

There are a lot of reports of steering problems after lifting the Club Car Precedent golf cart.

Here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure the cart was aligned properly after lifting.
Maybe larger wheels are bothering your ride which is also making the handling difficult. By replacing the larger wheels with a smaller size, the golf cart will be more stable.

Another problem with the Precedent cart, after lifting, is brake cable issues. Mostly, the brake cable on the driver’s side becomes unable to reach back to the bracket.

Let the cable hang loose at the back, which is the place for them to connect with drums. Thus the cable can connect in a bracket before it hooks to the drum.

Yamaha G1 lift kit troubleshooting

Lifting a Yamaha G1 golf cart does look very cool, but there are several downsides. The common problem here is the tires bow out at the top of the front tires.

Lifting changes Yamaha’s toe settings drastically. Tie rods in 1-1½ turns every time and then drive it. See if it helped.
Attach new front shocks
Set the shock bracket properly. Maybe flipping the bracket while setting it can help.

Yamaha G2 lift kit troubleshooting

Users reported that after the Yamaha G2 lift kit, they are having problems with the front tires.

You need to focus on the camber. Adjusting it would solve the problem.

Other than that, problems like overheating, steering problems, swaying problems, handling issues, etc. do not have any troubleshooting solutions. Maybe your cart requires professional attention now. Still, I have mentioned some general troubleshooting here.

Upgrade the rear springs
Change the tires or wheels.
Check horsepower of your car.
Adjust the toe-in

Yamaha G9 lift kit troubleshooting

Here is how to troubleshoot lift kit problems on a Yamaha G9 golf cart:

The solenoid is responsible for the electric flow from the batteries to the cart. Make sure it is healthy.
Run simple voltage tastes on your batteries and make sure they just fine
Next, check on the Potentiometer. If it is alright, your cart will run smoothly even after lifting.
Now it’s time to reset the motor. Only restarting the motor can solve most of your problems.

Yamaha G16 lift kit troubleshooting

I have mentioned three solutions here, which can solve the most common problems of Yamaha G16 lift kit.

After using the Yamaha G16 lift kit, most users face controller issues. It is responsible for your cart’s speed. Tightening the controller’s wires to solve your problems.
You may be listening to loud sounds from the cart belts. May the steeper angle is rubbing against something. Stopping it can solve the problem.
Now, in order to drive the cart smoothly, you need to focus on the oil sending unit. Oil lightly if you find out it is low.

Yamaha G29 lift kit troubleshooting

I have seen plenty of instability reports from the Yamaha G29 lift kit. Follow the list I have mentioned below and see if it helps.

As your cart’s center gravity has increased, it may have some trippy feeling. Maybe less high wheels can help you.
Adjust the alignment properly.
Add more massive coil-over springs.
New and more suitable shocks on the rear can help.

The springs will allow the cart body to roll smoothly, and also it will help to adjust the toe-in. And the other solutions mentioned above will also cut the issues after lifting the cart into half.