Beware = 2018 yamaha golf cart
 

Unlike previous year, Yamaha has changed the drive train. New cart does not have the quick acceleration similar to previous years. Takes a bit to get to 20 mph so you need to be careful pulling out in traffice. Otherwise nice cart.

The only drive chain change was to go from 13 hp to 11 hp and add independent suspension. Yes it accelerates a little bit slower, but oh so much more quiet. Still will go just as fast as the older carts. The only place I even notice it is coming out of the tunnels and going up the ramp.

For me the quiet and smooth ride is so worth the slightly less acceleration.

You made me look
 

We have a 2014 Yamaha EFI. When, shopping for it I seem to recall the HP was listed at 12. Frankly, I was mostly decided to buy a club cart because it is or was rated at 15 hp and has or had pressurized lubrication unlike the Yamaha which has only simple splash lubrication. The dealer for Club Cart killed the sale. No one including their service guy knew anything about the gas carts.

To our pleasant surprise, Villages Golf Cart gave us a loaner
for an oil change. I laugh-you cannot be without a golf cart in the Villages. The loaner was a 2017. It was clearly faster than our 2014 and from a start, it had a hair trigger.

Mr reading shows the 2018 is 11.4 HP. Math or it has gone down slightly. Apparently, they've reduced the emissions.
They also claim 45 mpg. Not sure but I think my 2014 EFI
gets about 30 mpg. Not at all a problem. We use it quite a lot and use about four gallons a month.

"Cutting into traffic," this thought is endlessly posted on this website. Golf cart-you should not be cutting into traffic. Cars have the right of way.

A little smother and slower acceleration would be nice when golfing : )

Mine seems to hit 20 rather quickly, I never had a golf cart with a speedometer before and this one goes as a high between 20.9 and 21.1 on a level section of road. I guess it really doesn't matter what the power is as they most likely won't be changing these for the next several years so you get what they make or go elsewhere. Only mistake I think I made was not upgrading the tires as the stock tires are a little rough and quite noticeable until they get warmed up.

My 2013 Yamaha, noisy, fast and always 50 mpg!

How were you able to get it to go that slow ?

Not really that fast, but noisy and 50 MPG.

2017 Yamaha also has independent suspension and has Quietech noise suppression. Main difference between the two is slightly less HP in 2018.

Agree, When merging into traffic you should do so when is safe when wanting to make left hand turn. You don't stop in diamond lane and try to cut across traffic, that how you get killed. On non diamond lane street carts are like cars they have and have to give the right way IAW traffic laws and regulations.

My 2012 YEFI gets over 40 and has high as 47. Heck my Honda get 28 mph you would think lawn mower engine would get better. Splash or pressurize not really factor it's lawn mower engine by design and checking/changing the oil regularly will make or break it.

If you read the Specifications in your manual (chapter 10) you will find (starting in 2017) the transaxle gear reduction is 9.789 in forward and 14.358 in reverse. Before Yamaha redesigned the cart in 2017, everybody would replace the rear end gears with 8.1, it came out of the factory with 12.xx. (Some builders didn't change the rear end gears, those carts are running a lot more RPMs going 20 MPH. That puts a lot more wear and tear on the engine.
It has been explained to me from a Yamaha Engineer that the higher the gear reduction number the faster off the line, the lower the reduction number the slower off the line but at top end the engine is turning LESS RPMs. Less stress on the engine. Find a friend who has an older Yamaha and go to a parking lot where, no one or cars are around and race off the line see who wins the short race (50 feet). Let us know what happens.

You must be filling the tank up to th neck. Being the filler neck is sunk in the top of the tank I find that you can be off by 1/2 gallon or so from one fill up to then next which can make big difference in comparing MPG from one tank to another. I documented my miles and tank fill ups for 6 months. Average MPG was between 42 and 47 in my 2012 EFI.

I have been keeping records of every gallon and every hour for the past 12,000 miles on this cart. 50 MPG. Sorry, but true.

I also get 50 mpg with my 2014 Yamaha EFI.

It is a GOLF CART
 

Miles per gallon? It truly does not matter. We put gas in it once a month. The tank if I recall is six gallons and to fill, ONCE A MONTH, takes less than five gallons.

Someone mentioned higher revs and wear. Again, IT IS A GOLF CART. Wear on the engine depends on many things including the load. There is no transmission shift. Going up hill, riding on grass, your weight, carrying two people, four people all put more strain on the engine. Increased load, increased wear. Higher gear with increased load increases wear.

For an economy run, you want over inflated bald tires, you want the wind behind you, you want to get rid of your windshield, roof and sunbrella cover THEN start on the engine and drive train. Heck the body adds ???? 300 lbs.
Manual clutch? Shift-able transmission?

NO THANKS

Re: The tank design
 

Oh the yamaha and probably all the others the filler neck is sunk for a reason. Like any liquid gasoline expands as it gets warm. If, you fill right up to the top, trying to do a MOBIL ECONOMY RUN and it gets hot, the gas will expand and it has to go somewhere. It will seep out of the tank.
It might seep into the engine thinning out your oil. Spilled gasoline with a hot engine, electricity-just not a good idea.

When a thread starts out with the word beware, I almost always find out it isn't any really big whoopee-do.

The truth is only idiots over fill the gas tank. Some take the governor out and the engine winds the engine up for for higher illegal speed which eats up MPG. It just glorified lawn mower engine which is not fuel efficient.

Must be way I drive! Foot to floor:pepper2:

Love our 2018 Yamaha. Plan to drive it til I die !

So what!!!!!! Not in any hurry to get anywhere. Ours gets 50 mpg as did the 2013 we traded in. Life is good.

Sometimes, quick acceleration is needed and it is very nice to have and my Yamaha electric does have that quick acceleration. Having said that, our electric cart travels only 20 MPH on flat road, up to 21.5 on a downhill run and loses about .2 MPH going up hill. I go way ahead of some carts when starting from a complete stop but they soon catch up with me.

Thanks for the update, just purchased a 2018 and it responds fine when merging into traffic so far.