golf carts(again)
 

So0rry to be late in any response to this continuous question. However I will be moving to TV in October and have looking into the purchase of a cart. My wife,Pat would like a four seater. I do not have a preference. I have done research on "Yamaha"."Club Car",EZ-go and STAR. I am leaning towards Yamaha (gas) but would like some "feed back" on the Star. If anyone has any infor on this golf cart I would greatly appreciate. Thanking you in advance. gary
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I went for electric cause of the stink and noise of gas carts... e z go has the new rzv that has incredidble power....i did lots of research as well....i ended up at the e z go factory store....dougyb

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We were going to get a new electric four seater but ended up with a used gas four seater because it was an excellent deal. It was advertised in the paper. Too bad golf carts don't have odometers. Someone suggested putting on a new muffler and extending the exhaust out further to offset the smell and noise to the riders, but Mucci, the little woofer, says the noise and smell will now go directly at him. Oh dear. Never any perfect solutions.

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Gary....I just hope you will re-consider and get an electric cart. Each person on earth has to do thier part to keep "green" Gas carts are loud and stinky and do no good for this earth.
Thank you

Carlent

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Carlent, I'm under the impression that the electricity used to charge battery operated carts is not from solar panels on the golf cart's roof. This article from SECO illustrates some of the "green" problems encountered in their production of electricity. http://www.secoenergy.com/pdfs/SNJun08.pdf
Also, some people are fearful of battery operated carts because of a few fires that occurred while the batteries were being charged. I encourage tolerance for the choices people will make for their Village transportation. I think when the environmental perfect golf cart is introduced most of us will jump on board immediately. For now, I'm ok with whatever people choose.

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You know Peachie. That is what you are! Peachie. I like your style!!

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This is not to be judgemental of gas vs electric, just a question I've wondered about.

Does anyone know how good or bad gas powered golf carts are as it relates to pollutants that they emit? I assume these gas engines do not contain any pollution controls on them like we have in our autos. I had heard or read somewhere, unconfirmed, that they emit more pollutants than an auto.

Anybody know the facts???

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V07 - You are right about pollution control devices, and I'd bet in an apples-to-apples scenario, the golf cart would produce more pollutants. Not unlike all of the lawn mowers and tractors cutting our grass everyday. They do not have the catalytic converters cars do, and all of the other computer gear designed to run more efficiently.
But it's hard to do apples-to apples. A car has 4, 6 or 8 cylinders. Golf carts have 1. And if you drive your car for a lot of miles I'd bet the car would produce more pollutants over that greater distance. At 50 mph a car is probably running at 2500 revolutions per minute. Each turn of the engine spits out exhaust. The cart turns much slower - don't know the number. But the point being the golf cart motor is less efficient but in terms of absolute number of pollutants in the air from exhaust fumes, I think the car produces more.
I hope I was clear....

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Nancy.

We had an electric cart here in Ohio. I had forgotten how bad the fumes are in a gas cart. I think that it has to be worse than a car because the lack of diffusive devices. I wasn't thrilled to be smelling all of those carcinogens, nor to have anyone else breathe them either. I guess the only good green form of transportation are our own two feet. :'(

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Not sure of the technical issues, but I am sure about the stink they leave in their wake...particularly in the tunnels! ;)

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A little bit more info on Gas Vs Electric carts


http://www.golfcarcatalog.com/index....ormation_id=31

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Gas > Pollution, stinks, noise, back fires, jerky, bothers others, trouble of going to a gas station or storing gas in your garage > WOW !!! I think that's most of it - but I might have missed a few.

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Gas money going to support countries (OPEC) that hate us.

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STAR carts seem to be the new kid on the block. I've been impressed with how much you seem to get for the money. The one issue I heard was "steel frames" (instead of aluminum). I don't know if that's a big deal or not. Opinions on STAR carts appreciated.

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Earlier today I saw a guy pushing his electric cart home. His wife was sitting in it. I was running late for a tee time or I truly would have helped him. I went by in my noisy stinky gas cart. I hope the noise and smell didn't bother him. I don't think it did he was busy listening to his unhappy wife. True story!

I see several a week sitting on the side of the rec-trail. I always look to see if they are noisy stinky gas carts and every once in a while there is one. Can't imagine why they didn't look in the tank and see if they had go juice its just that simple.

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Dadspet, if you know of a gas golf cart that is jerky, back fires, stink, pollutes, and all those other bad things than it needs a tune up desperately. If a gas cart is running correctly, has a muffler extension, and tuned properly none of those things should happen. As to sending our money to countries that hate us, blame congress. They didn't even allow a vote. The US has more energy reserves than all of the Mideast combined and yet our wonderful congress leadership does not even allow a vote on the issue. Regardless of your position on the issue, our "so called Representatives" should be allowed to vote one way or the other on the issue.

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:joke:They probably did but were too far from a gas station to get gas or didn't have the $4.xx a gal on them to buy some.

:'( BTW I have to admit I might have been one of the carts along side the trail in a rental cart that died on me last year (5 yr old batterys). I guess I didn't learn I still went electric when I bought.

Then there sure must be a lot of them in need of a tune up because every time I go through a tunnel you can smell fumes and they aren't from electric carts and Its been more then once that a gas cart has backfired slowing down at a intersection. I've also tried a new Yamaha gas carts that I thought they had some of the the same issues > no backfire but seemed jerky and rough compared to the electric carts. The Yamaha sale guy kept telling me to get it up to speed and that noise / roughness will go away.

:dontknow:Perhaps my hearing aid is turned up too much and I'm overly sensitive to the noise.

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LOL. Might be the issue. As to fumes in the tunnels, if you ran a lawn mower in a tunnel, there would be fumes. If you drive through an auto tunnel in a convertible you will smell fumes. It's an enclosed area. If any gasoline engine backfires, then timing or air intake or something is out of adjustment and should be corrected. I would believe electric is a little smoother on take off. Both have there pros and cons, so each to their own. Thats why they build them both.

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Gas to me stinks ..... and being in the tunnels PROVES it. I definitely favor ElECTRIC.

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I wish people would show a little more respect for other people's choices.

I definitely gave due consideration to the choice of gas vs electric when I purchased my gas cart. I thought about the fumes, and the noise. I would have preferred to use an "environmentally perfect" vehicle like an electric cart.

But, for the vary same reason we all don't own electric automobiles, they lack RANGE. I don't care how many people say they can get everywhere they want to go in their electric cart, a gas cart can go further. For instance, I drive the cart from my house to Sweet Bay and back (round trip approximately 5 miles), then to SS for lunch (maybe 10 mile round trip) then I go and take an evening ride with a cigar (1 hour - at 20mph factoring in all of the stops and slowdowns maybe 15 miles). That's approximately 30 miles. An electric cart has a range of about 40 miles. Add a round of golf, and I'm easily at the edge of the range of the cart. Or if I'm not at the edge, I think I am, so I might as well be. I won't use the cart without charging it for some 8 hours again. My mobility is limited by the choice of an electric cart. That was a paramount concern for me. I too have seen electric carts pushed off to the roadside. I don't want that to be me.

I may be paranoid, but there seems to be 2 schools of thought out here, gas vs. anti-gas. Not gas vs electric. It's like folks are trying to lay a guilt trip on the gas cart owners. I find it lacks the fundamental respect we ought to show one another.

My 2 cents...

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Steve, you are absolutely correct. It seems to be gas vs. anti- gas. The hypocrisy of the anti-gas crowd ( and I have no dog in this fight only shaking my head at the lunacy) the hypocrisy is if any of the anti-gas advocates EVER visited a smoke belching, stinky on a massive scale, smelly on a massive scale, massively polluting, coal or oil fired electric generating plant they would change their mind. Been there, seen that. They would realize that both choices stink and pollute so go with your personal choice. I would go with electric but that's my choice foe convenience. Until they come out with a solar powered that works and it would have to be really reliable! ;)

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After reading some of the anti-gas reasons it would appear to me that the solution for those individuals who can not stand the fumes in the tunnels would be to wear masks. The gas cart is not perfect but I would rather deal with the noise then to be sitting on the side of the path at 9:00 p.m. at night because my charge ran out.

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Which goes faster.... gas or electric? I don't mean "street legal" but some carts seem to be tweaked to go faster.

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Stefve I don't know about other electric carts b ut I can take mine from my house in Springdale (1/4 mile from Lopez) drive to Havana, play 18 holes of golf, go to LS for lunch and then get back home with plenty of juice. Just how much farther do I need to go?

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You don't have to go any further, and that's fine. I do. And that's precisely my point. Electric is good for you, but I want the range, so I chose gas. Different people, different choices. Neither wrong.

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Just a thought on gas vs electric. You have an electric. You have a $1000.00+ paint job on your driveway and garage. Battery charger malfunctions. Battery boils over. Acid on paint job. Opps. There goes paint job. Doesn't happen with a gas cart. I still haven't decided on gas/electric after 2 weeks of looking. :dontknow:

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I have a tray under my electric in the garage to prevent damage should this happen.

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For those concerned about the range of Electric carts

http://www.cruisecarinc.com/

http://www.suncatchergolf.com/

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Very slick, especially the Kudo 4 seater. Are there any dealers yet?

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I have been curious about the pollution generated by Gas carts. I finally ran across this info below. Most interesting is that one cart produces more gasses that four to eight Ford mid sized sedan. This is the second time I ran into this same general info. I think I still like gas carts but it is something to think about

http://www.suncatchergolf.com/public...emissions.html

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The following is taken out of a website that talks about proper battery watering. I was told to water my batteries in the morning after they have been fully charged to make sure they are not overfilled.


Adding water to a battery is not like adding gasoline to an engine. It's more complicated and has the potential to kill the industrial vehicle—or at least the power source—if not done correctly.

It's tough to talk about battery maintenance without getting into the science of these complicated electro-chemical beasts. Properly maintained, industrial batteries are cost-effective workhorses that should last as long as five years. Electrolyte level in a battery rises and falls—much like the tides—in response to the state of its charge. If a battery is overfilled, then charged, electrolyte will rise to dangerous levels. Batteries on chargers produce hydrogen and oxygen gases as a byproduct of the electrolysis process. For overfilled batteries, explosions can happen, along with acid spray.

"When you're using the battery," explains Harold Vanasse, senior vice president, Philadelphia Scientific (Philadelphia), a battery accessory and component supplier, "the electrolyte level is at its lowest because acid has moved into the plates. As you charge the battery, gas is produced on the plates and drives the acid out, causing the electrolyte level to slowly rise."

The message here is to not to fill a battery to the top. When a battery is put on the charger, the expanding acid-laden water can overflow. The industry term is "boil over." Boil over puts sulfuric acid onto the case of the battery as well as the lift truck, floors, racks and people if they are near by.

"The other thing about boil over that's important to know," says Vanasse, "is that some of the sulfates are washed out each time there is boil over. You need sulfates to maintain the capacity of the battery."

Vanasse estimates that for every boil over, the battery loses three percent of its capacity. Those boil overs can add up and impact the running time of the battery.

Battery maintenance experts recom-mend watering batteries on a fixed schedule, depending on the age of the battery. Watering is done typically once a week. The key is to monitor the electrolyte level. It's still not uncommon to find companies filling the batteries when they remember to do it—in spite of what all the battery manufacturers tell them. Hand-watering procedures in some plants (an estimated 70% of the batteries are filled by hand), might consist of an employee with a flashlight looking at water levels, then replenishing with water from a hose or a soda bottle, says Vanasse.

Re: golf carts(again)
 

After 2-3 weeks of looking at golf carts (our 1st after 4 yrs in TV), we bought last Friday. When we started looking, I asked for comments on TOTV (another thread) and got some input. We were open minded to both gas and electric although we were leaning toward gas a little more because of added range. We wanted a 4 seater and we don't play golf (sorry) and don't think we will ever take it up. We were also considering "Street Legal." But more on that later.

Looked at Club Car and were not impressed by dealer, area to test drive in, or the cart itself.

Checked out EZ-Go and had a few issues. EZ-Go cart (both gas and electric) seems pretty well put together. Didn't care for the standard bench seat in the back as it was like sitting on a 4x4. They do have an upgrade to a "Suite Seat" which is pretty good. The gas model was about what you can expect for a gas unit but couldn't take it for a long enough ride to see if it would quiet down at top speed. Electric had good pickup but again to short of a test area to see how it really acts. Salesperson gave me some pricing sheet and left us on our own to figure out what it would cost. One small issue was the closeness of the "go" pedal to the seat. I'm not tall anymore (use to be 6ft, now 5'9" and still have long legs) and there was little room to put my left foot when the "go" pedal was not depressed. Also little to no room to put my right foot as the break pedal was very close to the outside edge of the cart. Maybe that is why I see some many people driving with their left foot hanging outside the cart. A friend that maintains EZ-Go told me that if you spend a little more for Mid/HI grade gas, you will reduce noise and smell on the gas carts.

I looked at The Villages and their Yamaha gas and electric. Drove both a considerable distance and was able to see how they would act on hills (not the bridge over 441 but Stillwater up to Odell). Electric faded some with two in the cart and most likely will fade more with 4 people. Gas had a slight fade with 2 people but felt that it wouldn't be much different with 4 people. Quality seemed OK. What turned me off was being told that I had to buy certain options in order to get other things I wanted, i.e. you can't get Tier 3 without getting both Tier 1 & 2 add-ons. Remember, I don't golf. I hate being told I have to buy something I didn't want. Sales person, who owned a gas cart told me also to use higher grade gas to get rid of smell and reduce noise.

I looked at Tombolin electric "Street Legal" Only difference between "Street Legal" and Non-Street Legal is the speed setting for the controller. Looks and drove like a pretty nice unit. Good standard equipment. Several draw backs from my point of view. This is a new startup operation and it will be some time before they get established or fail. This may not bother other people but it gave me some concerns. Other concern was pricing and which accessories were included or added to the bottom line. It wasn't totally clear. But considering all factors, this would most likely was my second choice.

I looked at ParCar. I this point I was leaning slightly toward gas although not much since Ez-go, Yamaha, and Par Car all claim 50+ miles range on their electric carts. Par had only sold one gas unit in the last year but luckily they were able to give me a test drive in a gas cart which was in the process of being sold. The salesmen and the shop supervisor at the factory both told me that they didn't think I'd like it. They were right. The cart was great, but they are using a Briggs & Stratton engine. If they could only put the EZ-Go gas engine in there, it would be a great unit. They actually use sound deading material to bury the noise. Novel idea! I moved on to the electric and for the few dollars difference in price, selected the "Street Legal." Salesperson was great to work with. After spending a lot of time going over the carts and their differences, he walked us through pricing. He made several good suggestions on things we should get (options) and what was a waste of money. Even swapped out some "standard" items we didn't want for options we wanted. Even with all of that, we weren't too far above the base price. What a pleasure to do business with. As you can probably tell by now. We bought the "Street Legal" ParCar.

Our decision was based on what we liked/disliked about the various manufacturer's quality, the experiences we had in test driving the carts, and the sales people we had to deal with ( a possible indication of how the service department would treat me). Our choice between gas vs electric is still the same. Both have their pro's and con's and if ParCar had a decent gas unit, we may have bought that. Going "Street Legal" was only for the little added ump to get up hills. Last comment, if you fill your batteries "after" charging and get the one-fill system (offerred by EZ-Go, Yamaha, and ParCar), you greatly reduce the chance of boil over. Unless of course your controller malfunctions. But then, you can also spill gas all over..........

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Gas carts stink, vibrate, pollute and are noisy.

DC

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WLAN56,
very nice summary, thanks for all that info

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:agree: WLAN56.

Downeaster - Why waste words huh? There are probably people on other forums in the world that are starving :joke:

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Got to make up your own mind,I preferr the gas cause I can fill it myself and not worry about "spots" on my garage floor or whether I plugged it in right or spend $$$$ for 6 new batteries! Yes, gas should be kept tuned up just like your car, but only once a year. Also with the villages getting bigger and bigger you can not to my knowledge go golfing at one end of the villages and then expect to travel my farther then home before you are in the "danger zone" of no juice. MY friend comes to my house with his electric cart and we go golfing in my gas! :joke:

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Downeaster says it all, in few words! :agree:

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One day I set out to see how far we could travel in our electric golf cart on a charge. We set out with a GPS and from Belleair we went to the Historic side, Spanish Springs, Sumter Landing, south of 466A via Buena Vista, Colony Square, back to Sumter Landing, Laurel Manor, then home. It was performing well so after dinner I tooled around the neighborhood 'til after dark just to run up some more miles. I finally quit at 42 plus miles. That is equivalent to Ocala and back. It is also way too many miles in a golf cart in one day.

DC

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And that's great for the cart owner who has distance limits and will never go further than their mapped out mileage, but we've never had to take our cart out to see how far we can go, we can just go and not worry about the distance. If one has health problems, that is a great piece of mind. Good to know people are buying the mode of transportation that will work for them! crap (I'm not recommending a horse to get to the golf course). Rah for gas and electric carts, they are a great way to tour The Villages. :clap2:

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We basically "inherited" our 2001 (though new looking) electric Club Car from the people we bought our house from (who never used it; it still had the little rubber thingeys on the tires that we've now worn off...), knowing that within a year or so it will need batteries. Meantime it works fine.

We spent about $500 to convert it into a four-seater, and that has worked out well too.

So far range has not been an issue, and we have taken it a couple of good distances. Then again we're not golfers, which likely helps. I have no feelings one way or the other on gas versus electric (other than preferring the quiet of the electric which is not a major issue), but we have the electric and we're pretty content with it.