Yamaha Carb vs. EFI vs. EFI QT

[VillageIdiots]

Moving to TV in a couple of weeks. Looking for a good second hand starter cart. I'm fairly familiar with the carb carts. But, is the EFI Yamaha quieter than the carb and the EFI QT quieter still? Or is the QT really the only one that is significantly quieter? I know the EFI should probably do better on fuel and run better in varying weather conditions but just curious if they are also noticeably quieter at all or not much difference?

[Nucky]

A very good question but one that only you can answer. You will not notice the difference in mileage between the three different configurations. The newest one is quieter but I suggest you try putting down all the flaps as if you were going thru a storm and drive and see if you notice anything wrong. If it's a used cart its a roll of the dice. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose.

If you did decide on a cart with a carburetor and you had a problem a replacement is under $100. Good Luck. Your asking good questions. Keep 'em coming.

[VillageIdiots]

Let me revise my question a little. I have found a 2011 cart that seems to be in great shape. It’s carbed. I also found a very similarly equipped 2013 that is EFI but is about $700 more. Seems like the extra 2 years is worth $700 or more alone. But are there any other benefits or detriments assuming all things are equal other than age and carb vs. efi?

[Topspinmo]

Some used carts have lots of miles/hours on them. I hope you have some mechanical ability? If you shop around at various dealers they have left over new 14s and up with sizable discounts. I got EFI cart and so far no problems, get in, step on the gas and go. As far as level noise QT bets all gas carts that don't have insulation and enclosed engine compartment. I think get QT Yamaha it's 17 and up models?

[tophcfa]

Driven all three and own a 2014 EFI. Little difference in noise between carb and EFI, but EFI probably a little quiter. The new quiet-tech are way quiter, very close if not equal to electric. The quiet-tech's also are first to have independent rear suspension. That makes a big difference in jarring the back when you hit bumps that are often unavoidable. The new quiet-techs are really nice, especially with good aftermarket seats. Some day we will get one of the quiet-techs, but our EFI runs great so we can't justify the trade up yet. Bottom line, IMO, is if you are on a budget and are mechanically inclined and can re-build a carb, get an older carbureted model. If you want the best and are not on a budget, get the quiet-tech. The EFI falls in between the two, both price wise and performance, and you don't have to worry as much about bad gas clogging up your carburetor. Whatever you get, do yourself a favor and only use the ethenol free gas from the Villages Golf Cart pumps.

[VillageIdiots]

I don’t know about rebuilding carbs but I am somewhat mechanically inclined and tend to DIY things when I can even if I have to research and educate myself first. I have owned several carts. All were club cars. One gas and two electric. I always run ethanol free or at least ethanol treated gas in any “small” engines. As I stated in my initial post, I plan to start with a decent second hand cart and when we get to a point where we want a second cart, I will fix the wife up with a newer one with the nice seats. She really needs to be able to adjust the driver seat forward to be comfortable driving them.

[biker1]

Pre-QT carts from "Carts and Clubs" in Ocala tend to be quieter than pre-QT carts from "The Villages Golf Cart Store" because they packed sound deadening material around the engine. QT carts from either location will be quieter than any pre-QT carts. I am not sure you will sense a difference in sound levels between a pre-QT EFI and a pre-QT carb cart from the same location - the noise level is a function of the exhaust system and sound deadening material in the engine compartment. You will have a larger selection of carts to choose from (and at lower prices) if you go with a carb cart because the youngest EFI will be a 2013. I believe Yamaha continued to make both carb and EFI carts through 2015 (or 2016) but pretty much anything newer will be EFI (including all the QT carts, although their website continues to indicated they still offer carb carts).

Moving to TV in a couple of weeks. Looking for a good second hand starter cart. I'm fairly familiar with the carb carts. But, is the EFI Yamaha quieter than the carb and the EFI QT quieter still? Or is the QT really the only one that is significantly quieter? I know the EFI should probably do better on fuel and run better in varying weather conditions but just curious if they are also noticeably quieter at all or not much difference?

[asianthree]

Our 06 has been a work horse, bought from Carts and Clubs. We bought a 15 Yamaha from Villages Carts, with carb and noise is less, due to muffler extinction.

At our last maintenance I was given the new QT. I have to say at first I thought it was electric it was so quiet. We will be ordering a QT end of the year, probably from C&C, I like their zip enclosure better as it curves at the top for ease of entry and exit.

If I were only going to have one cart, I would buy a new QT just for the noise factor alone.

[billethkid]

I went with a rebuilt 2013 EFI three years ago.
Like new.
5 Year warranty.
EFI does not have the stinky/smelly exhaust of carb unit.
No complaints....cart looks and runs like new yet today.
EFI vs non EFI noise? Too close to call!!....not a big enough deal to entice me to the quieter unit......

[l2ridehd]

Because I have rental property, I own 4 Yamaha gas carts. A 2009 carb model from the Villages, a 2010 carb model from Carts and Clubs, a 2014 EFI from the Villages and a 2018 EFI QT from Carts and Clubs.

As far a running, driving, handling and servicing all 3 older carts are pretty much the same. The 2010 from Carts and Clubs is quieter then the other two. As stated in an above post, Carts and Clubs puts extra insulation around the engine and under the seat. The Sunbrella enclosure from Carts and Clubs is also significantly better then the carts from the Villages. Tighter, better fit, better snaps, tabs to prevent tearing, better windshield and a few other features that make that cart a better value.

The 2018 from Carts and Clubs is the quietest of all of them. Partly because of the QT technology and also because the extra insulation and superior enclosure they use.

If able to buy a used cart from Carts and Clubs someplace I would pay a bit extra for it over a Villages cart. If all else being equal, probably worth an extra $300. If buying a new cart I would only go to Carts and Clubs because of these extras they include.

If you want to see the differences between the different options, I would be happy to show you. Send me a PM with contact info and I will show you the different carts. At the end of April I will be selling the 2009 Yamaha if those differences don't matter to you. And for what will be your second cart at some point, they probably don't make that much difference.

Good luck finding the right cart for you and remember you do use it a lot here so a few extras on it are really worth it. By extras I mean better seats, storage shelves, LED lighting, etc.

[Fredster]

I don’t know about rebuilding carbs but I am somewhat mechanically inclined and tend to DIY things when I can even if I have to research and educate myself first. I have owned several carts. All were club cars. One gas and two electric. I always run ethanol free or at least ethanol treated gas in any “small” engines. As I stated in my initial post, I plan to start with a decent second hand cart and when we get to a point where we want a second cart, I will fix the wife up with a newer one with the nice seats. She really needs to be able to adjust the driver seat forward to be comfortable driving them.

We bought in TV in late 2014 and took delivery of a new 2015 Yamaha EFI from C&C a couple months later.
If I knew what I know now then, I would have bought a used cart!
If you are patient a lot of newer, very low mileage carts come up for sale quite often.
For example I bought a second 2015 4 seater Yamaha listed in the TOV classifieds. It had only 400 miles on it,
and was in showroom condition for a little more than half of original cost!

[TechGC]

Ill jump in here from a golf cart mechanics view.
Don't have to worry about rebuilding carburetors as there is no such thing and it is very rare a carburetor ever needs to be replaced. They get replaced because many don't know how to fix them.
EFI carts we are starting to see issues, they will be expensive to repair, so be prepared.
QT carts will be even harder to work on, even services take longer.

Come 2020, when the 2017 QT cars start coming off lease, plan on prices of 2016's and below to fall.

[VillageIdiots]

Thanks for all of the great info. All of the carts I have owned were used golf course retiree’s. So one can imagine how they were treated. Kind of like buying a used rental car from Enterprise. I got a lot of use out of all of them but had to work on all of them at one time or another. Including an almost complete tear down of one of them to have the body wrapped, replace the suspension with a lifted suspension, putting in new batteries and wiring in lights, stereo, subwoofer, etc. I like all the bells and whistles but I am the guy that would prefer to buy a more basic starter platform and add all of accessories myself as opposed to buying one turn key. To start off I just want a second hand in good shape, maybe already has the nicer wheels, turn signals, mirrors, curtains, and add the seats and other gadgets myself.

Again, thank you all. I am sure I will be back on this forum participating in “cart talk” once I get down there and get settled.

[PaulDenise]

We have a 2015 Yamaha EFI and it has been wonderful and never needed anything.

Interestingly, we had company last week and rented a 2018 carb model from The Villages. I was sort of shocked that I could smell unburned gas from it whenever I would let off the throttle coming down the ramps into the tunnels and also when I would make a really hard turn.

I am happy that I did not buy a carb model because my wife, who is very sensitive to smells, would have been very unhappy.

So, part of your decision should be if one or the other will make your wife potentially more or less happy.

[lanabanana73]

Our 06 has been a work horse, bought from Carts and Clubs. We bought a 15 Yamaha from Villages Carts, with carb and noise is less, due to muffler extinction.

At our last maintenance I was given the new QT. I have to say at first I thought it was electric it was so quiet. We will be ordering a QT end of the year, probably from C&C, I like their zip enclosure better as it curves at the top for ease of entry and exit.

If I were only going to have one cart, I would buy a new QT just for the noise factor alone.

If I ever get a new cart from Carts and Clubs, I will get their enclosure that has accordion style doors, with magnets to attach. SO much easier to handle, IMO. I curse my roll up enclosures every time I need to "roll them up"!!

[Fredster]

If I ever get a new cart from Carts and Clubs, I will get their enclosure that has accordion style doors, with magnets to attach. SO much easier to handle, IMO. I curse my roll up enclosures every time I need to "roll them up"!!

I’m pretty sure they discontinued selling that type of enclosure.
I was told the reason was they had a lot of complaints that if only one side was closed,
it would blow open from the wind coming through from the opposite side.
Apparently the magnetic closure wasn’t strong enough to hold.
I was told that months ago, but I haven’t checked lately to find out if they ever solved the issue.

[EviesGP]

While I was in TV 2 weeks ago, I took a 2018 Yamaha for a ride, and it had a Sleekline enclosure(vs Curtis Cab with a hydraulic hinge). I was quite impressed with that feature, vs having to roll and zipper?

[Pearson14505]

Curtis cab has a new enclosure. It slides like the sleekline. Curtis cab is superior to sleekline.

[bill50]

Ill jump in here from a golf cart mechanics view.
Don't have to worry about rebuilding carburetors as there is no such thing and it is very rare a carburetor ever needs to be replaced. They get replaced because many don't know how to fix them.
EFI carts we are starting to see issues, they will be expensive to repair, so be prepared.
QT carts will be even harder to work on, even services take longer.

Come 2020, when the 2017 QT cars start coming off lease, plan on prices of 2016's and below to fall.

So what kind of issues are you seeing on EFI carts

[l2ridehd]

While I was in TV 2 weeks ago, I took a 2018 Yamaha for a ride, and it had a Sleekline enclosure(vs Curtis Cab with a hydraulic hinge). I was quite impressed with that feature, vs having to roll and zipper?

Here is my issue with all hard enclosures. You need those sliding and folding doors about 1 month and another half dozen times for rain. But you need the wide open air that a Sunbrella enclosure provides the other 11 months. I will roll my sides up and down a dozen times a year to get the open air breeze for the 11 months I need it vs having not enough air flow from a hard enclosure for the 9 or 10 months when it's hot.

I play golf year round in a large group. The few that have the different hard enclosure don't want to use them in the summer because it is just to hot inside them. And that lasts for 3 or 4 months. Where the roll up is required down only about 1 month.

I will agree that a hard enclosure is nice when it starts raining and you can secure it in a few seconds where it takes me a few minutes, but having the fully open sides for a much longer time for me is worth those extra few minutes.

[ColdNoMore]

Here is my issue with all hard enclosures. You need those sliding and folding doors about 1 month and another half dozen times for rain. But you need the wide open air that a Sunbrella enclosure provides the other 11 months. I will roll my sides up and down a dozen times a year to get the open air breeze for the 11 months I need it vs having not enough air flow from a hard enclosure for the 9 or 10 months when it's hot.

I play golf year round in a large group. The few that have the different hard enclosure don't want to use them in the summer because it is just to hot inside them. And that lasts for 3 or 4 months. Where the roll up is required down only about 1 month.

I will agree that a hard enclosure is nice when it starts raining and you can secure it in a few seconds where it takes me a few minutes, but having the fully open sides for a much longer time for me is worth those extra few minutes.

Actually, having owned both now I can say that there is almost negligible difference in air flow compared to sunbrellas... when the hard cab doors are open.

While I was reluctant at first to get a Curtis Cab because I had heard the same thing...my wife insisted we get one with doors.

I have never regretted it...and will never own another one without a hard door.

Being able to quickly close the doors when caught in a rainstorm, or cold weather, and not hassle with rolling/snapping the plastic ones constantly...is a huge convenience.

In addition, you don't have to listen to the plastic whipping and snapping...while driving when cold or in a storm.

I tend to smile every time I pass someone who chose not to bother to lower their sumbrella for that quick shower...and they look like a drowned rat as they pass by. :D

My next cart will have the sliding type though, as they offer a lot more flexibility in being able to close just part of a door when so desired.

Different strokes though. :shrug: