[Catalina36]

I’m vote is carb. Just think how many golf carts ran on carbs with not issues before throttle body fuel injection. Carbs are easy to clean and repair if needed. A new carb is around $25 to $30. A throttle body is electronically controlled yikes more parts. I recently purchased a preowned carb model 2014. Runs great I plan on using ethanol free gas which can be purchased at The Villages Golf Cart Centers.

[DAVES]

Like most everything, endless debate. Realize, people all people will be prejudiced by the choice they have made. To do other than that, with anything, is to have to admit first of all that the choice you made was wrong.

We have an eight year old Yamaha EFI cart. We use it quite a bit and are here full time.
We have not had any problems with the EFI system. A friend with the carb, purchased at the same time has needed to have the carb replaced. Is that the fault of either system?
Probably not. He leaves his cart in his garage and takes off for weeks at a time on vacation from our permanent Villages vacation. I am sure of one thing, replacing the carb is far less expensive than a rebuild or replace of the EFI system.

Fuel economy? We use like 6 gal a month. Not sure of the exact number but if the carb
used the same would burn 7 a month does it really matter? Cleaner? Perhaps. A gas powered golf cart unlike a car, does not idle. The engine stops and restarts every time you stop for a stop sign, a branch etc etc etc. An engine is most dirty, smell, pollution etc when it starts, getting up to normal running temperature. The fuel injection is cleaner.

Cost? I still do not understand why golf carts are so expensive compared to say a large riding mower or an ATV. I think part of it is the assumption that if you can pay the cost of playing golf, a rich man's game, you can pay up for a toy car called a golf cart. It is a single cylinder air cooled engine, with a single speed drive.

[Hiltongrizz11]

Originally Posted by John_W

I have a 2011 Yamaha, which has a carburetor, the EFI engines came out in 2012-1/2 and initially they made both and the EFI was $1500 option. They say the EFI get 10% better mileage. I get about 40 mpg. It depends on your budget, I wouldn't go with one over the other, the options I look for are things like the seats, LED lights, seat belts, look for the items you want and the price that matches your budget.

My cart will be ten years old in July, I bought it at LSL new for $10,300. Many of the options available now were not available then, so I added them myself, or they wanted some ridiculous price, I remember an overhead AM/FM Radio installed was $700. I paid $159 for mine on eBay and installed it myself. My options from TV was Ultimate Seats, which they no longer sell, they have El Tigre which are very similar. Black painted roof, a sand bottle, floor mats, gas gauge, pin stripe, 6 pack cooler, Sunbrella curtains, large side mirrors and 10" SS Wheels.

Besides the radio, I have added seat belts, LED full package from Liquid Lights, a larger cooler, overhead shelf in the rear, a second sand bottle, a ball and club washer, a Stryker Speedometer, leather steering wheel cover, turn signal indicators on the posts and a fan.

I have an appointment the end of April to get a new windshield. Mine just folds down in the middle, which is OK when playing golf you're mostly sitting still, but when riding at full speed it's too much air in the face. They have one now where the bottom pushes outward and the air comes through lower in the windshield. the top part is fixed and there is no crossbar in your view. They also have windshields with slots, but I like this one better. Also after ten years my windshield is getting a bit cloudy.

They say a gas Yamaha, either engine, should last you the rest of your life if you take care of it. Here's a photo from last August.

















This is the windshield I'm going to replace the current one with and it's sells for $199. I'm going let them install it since it comes in 3 pieces and has additional holes. Also when shopping, Yamaha's made before 2017 are called Drive and 2017 and newer are Drive 2. The only difference I see if the windshield supports on the front slope slightly backwards at the bottom and in Drive 2 they go straight down with no curve.

I, I, I, I.

Me Me Me Me

[Ken D.]

John, who’s replacing your windshield?

[GPGuar]

I’ve had a 2011 club cart with a carb for 8 years and I have never had any issues with it’s reliability.

[Rodneysblue]

Originally Posted by John_W

I have a 2011 Yamaha, which has a carburetor, the EFI engines came out in 2012-1/2 and initially they made both and the EFI was $1500 option. They say the EFI get 10% better mileage. I get about 40 mpg. It depends on your budget, I wouldn't go with one over the other, the options I look for are things like the seats, LED lights, seat belts, look for the items you want and the price that matches your budget.

My cart will be ten years old in July, I bought it at LSL new for $10,300. Many of the options available now were not available then, so I added them myself, or they wanted some ridiculous price, I remember an overhead AM/FM Radio installed was $700. I paid $159 for mine on eBay and installed it myself. My options from TV was Ultimate Seats, which they no longer sell, they have El Tigre which are very similar. Black painted roof, a sand bottle, floor mats, gas gauge, pin stripe, 6 pack cooler, Sunbrella curtains, large side mirrors and 10" SS Wheels.

Besides the radio, I have added seat belts, LED full package from Liquid Lights, a larger cooler, overhead shelf in the rear, a second sand bottle, a ball and club washer, a Stryker Speedometer, leather steering wheel cover, turn signal indicators on the posts and a fan.

I have an appointment the end of April to get a new windshield. Mine just folds down in the middle, which is OK when playing golf you're mostly sitting still, but when riding at full speed it's too much air in the face. They have one now where the bottom pushes outward and the air comes through lower in the windshield. the top part is fixed and there is no crossbar in your view. They also have windshields with slots, but I like this one better. Also after ten years my windshield is getting a bit cloudy.

They say a gas Yamaha, either engine, should last you the rest of your life if you take care of it. Here's a photo from last August.

















This is the windshield I'm going to replace the current one with and it's sells for $199. I'm going let them install it since it comes in 3 pieces and has additional holes. Also when shopping, Yamaha's made before 2017 are called Drive and 2017 and newer are Drive 2. The only difference I see if the windshield supports on the front slope slightly backwards at the bottom and in Drive 2 they go straight down with no curve.

Very nice!

[stebooo]

Won't you miss putting the top half down when golfing for better viewing of shots.?

[Pheobie1]

who insulates engine compartment and seat bottom?

[Aw Man]

Originally Posted by Pheobie1

who insulates engine compartment and seat bottom?

We had our cart insulated by Jiffy Exhaust in Wildwood, 352-748-5407.
They picked up our cart and returned it the next day.
They did a great job but it wasn’t cheap, $200 back in 2015.
Lots of posters on TOTV say they’ve bought insulation and installed it themselves.
It looks like it would be a simple job, but I’m retired/lazy.

[John_W]

...

[John_W]

...

[Nucky]

Originally Posted by John_W

I'm going let them do install, they charge $75 an hour at LSL and they said it was a one hour job. If it was just to replace one like I have now, I would do it myself, but the parts manager Betty said it comes in 3 pieces and has additional bolts, so I'll let them do it at LSL Villages Golf carts.

John, I'd like to take a second to thank you for the clear and complete explanations that you put plenty of time into putting together to help others whether they be new people or those who have been around a while.

Your post about this FI vs Carb issue and another thread about Car Dealerships has saved me a bundle. I hope you keep up the great communication. I for one am grateful. I bought the Carb model in 2016 because of one of your posts and saved $1695 and have had no problems with the Cart. I'm not splitting it with you though.

[John_W]

...

[kens613]

Willie is doing fine.. His guys are still there doing the service calls and Willie is over seeing them..

[mrf6969]

Go find yourself a used Yamaha 2017 EFI. That was the year they came out with the Quiet Tech. With this cart you will not only have the EFI but your engine noise will be cut down significantly over prior years.
In the short and long run you will be very happy you did.