Golf Cart tire lifespan
 

I am starting this post in the hope that we can all benefit from sharing data about golf cart tire lifespan.

I am inviting Villagers to share their data about golf cart tire lifespan, either in miles or hours and cart type so we may all better understand tire lifespan. Perhaps together we can determine what is average for the various carts. Perhaps there will even be a standout.

I have worn out my OEM Yamaha tires at 182.5 hours. This equates to about 3700 miles of Village driving. They are/were LoadStars.

Have over 300 hours(mostly golf driving and MMP) and about 1/2 worn out. Tough to quantify your question as too many factors including type of road mostly driven on, maintenance, tire pressure, driving habits.

I have LoadStars on both our 2014 Yamaha EFI and 2022 Quiet Tech. The 2014 has 1,050 hours on it and the original tires still have about half their tread. The 2022 has only 110 hours on it and the front tires are showing significant pre-mature wear. The newer Quiet Techs front wheels come from the factory set with noticeable negative camber, which cannot be easily corrected without changing out the front shocks to a different brand of adjustable shocks. The negative camber definitely prematurely wears the front tires, but the trade off is better stability and handling. After much consideration, I have decided to leave the factory set negative camber as is and enjoy the better handling. Saving the cost of replacing the front shocks will allow me to replace the front tires about 2 1/2 times and rotating the tires will buy more time between needing to replace them.

Tire pressure has lot to do with life of tires. On my cart 25 psi is the sweet spot, even wear 15K miles which in my case about 6 years. With 1/2 or less of tread left now my concern is dry rot. So I replace them at 8 year mark regardless of miles/hours. Cart tires aren’t important as vehicle aged tires, But that me. I have never had blowout or tire shredded from dry rot on any vehicle I’ve owned.

I have a 2013 4 seat Yamaha. +16,000 miles and still tread on the tires. I maintain air pressure weekly.

I would watch for dry rot cracking, not that important on golf cart but may turn into reliability problem as time passes. I have never worn all tread off tires.

Hey Topsipnmo-----Never say Never

Compared to some I seen out and about it looks pretty good.


I would have changed that tire long before it got that bald. I see bald tires on golf carts every time I’m out at function where carts are parked. IMO those bald tires could fail anytime due to way less rubber over the ply’s which makes it easier to puncture when run over shape solid objects.

Tires
 

Anyone know where new tires can be bought reasonably?

I would get quotes tire choice or what ever name is on 466 in Oxford by Walmart. They quoted me same price on internet which was 110.00 For two 205x65x10s about year ago?

Proper tire pressure and alignment and you will get 20k plus miles out of your tires NO MATTER what year cart you have.

Its easy to see some have been listening to those that dont really know and fall for what they are told. Do any of you really believe yamaha would make a cart where the tires wear out fast?

Those of you with a yamaha, look at your passenger front tire, if it is wearing faster than the driver side, and this is sometimes very hard to tell, your front end is out of alignment. It may only be a 1/4 of an inch, but will knock out 5k miles of wear. I see a lot of repair shops not align the fronts at all, or incorrectly.

Dry rotting tires is a thing of the past....I havent seen that in 20 years.

Tire pressures are a whole different story. Ive seen that asked here before and suggestions were all over the place. The tire manufacturer knows what the tire pressure needs to be so that the tread is flat on the pavement. Granted, everyone is a tire expert so put in whatever you think is right. But in the long run, the tire wear tells you what the tire wants.

Hmmm, I agree that tire pressures and alignment both influence tire wear, but the second statement is false. Yamaha does in fact make their newer Quiet Tech carts such that the tires wear out faster (when primarily driven on pavement). Alignment consists of caster, camber, and toe alignment. Yamaha purposely makes carts factory set with negative camber, which improves handling/stability. I suspect they do this to make their fleet carts more stable on the uneven grassy terrain of most golf courses, which is the biggest market for their carts. In my opinion, they should make their personal transportation vehicle line of carts, which are primarily driven on pavement, with a different factory camber alignment more appropriate for road use than on grass. Most likely to keep costs low, Yamaha has chosen to make both lines of carts with the same front end components. Unfortunately, there is no easy camber adjustment without replacing the front shocks with aftermarket shocks specifically designed for camber adjustment.

On another note, my BMW sports car also came from the factory with noticeable negative camber and the manufacturer’s suggested alignment is to not change it. It wears the tires faster, but it adds to handling/performance which is what the car is designed for. It also has wider rear tires than front tires, another performance feature for a rear wheel drive car, which shortens tire life because you can’t rotate them.

I disagree, manufacturer know what max tire pressure should be on what the tire made for. 10” trailer tires which say 35 psi max on side is tire. 35 psi too high pressure IMO for golf cart. It will wear out middle of tire. Cause only the middle supporting the weight.

So, you’re the expert what do you recommend tire pressure on golf car with 10” trailer tires installed on golf cart.

IMO difference in 8” tires vs 10” tires.

all I will say is that tire wear on a late model yamaha where it looks like it has serious negative camber can wear the tires out in 20k plus miles with no aftermarket or modifications, you will disagree.? Thats fine, we will agree to disagree on that.

I raced cars for 20 years and own performance cars now. I understand suspension and tires.

This question has been asked before and received every possible tire pressure, everyone was an expert. Im not here to teach golf car repair but rather inform and let the consumer decide on what is best for them.
I know, for a fact, that a 205x65x10 tire will not wear out the middle if set at 35 psi, I work on 1000s a year, customer would complain, instead they praise that their tires last so long.
Its your cart, you do whats best for you.

That’s good cause nearly nobody inflates them on golf cart to 35 PSI. That’s only the MAX pressure the tire manufacture recommendations. Most customers don’t have clue and you know that.

There are those that put their tire pressures at 35.

Im wondering who runs there automobile tire pressures 30 percent below what it says on the side wall.....Ill wait..

My neighbor just bought 4 brand new golf cart tires WITH NEW RIMS off Amazon, delivered for $50 a wheel. Changed them himself in hardly any time with a scissors jack. Very easy. Just another option to consider. He is very pleased and they look great.

Interesting in that my 2017 Yamaha cart has almost 600 hours on it and the tires are half worn. Tire pressure at a consistent 22 lbs. is the key. Just to add, I also have a 2011 Yamaha with the ORIGINAL tires that I am just now replacing. Both are the 10-inch Loadstars. Terrific trailer tires for a golfcart!

Is this too much PSI
 

Now I am worried that I have too much PSI in our tires.

Must of been 8 inch’ers?

Golf carts weigh less and don’t go down the road at 80 mph plus. The car manufacturer determines tire pressure. The tire manufacturer determines max pressure. But you knew that right.

So you got bad back?

Great price. Wheels alone, on most new carts are in the $600 range

Oh my bad....

Well, then I guess we need to run our bicycles tires, motorcycle tires, wheel barrow tires all at 30 percent below what the tire manufacturers recommend or does it only apply to golf cars? Again, Ill wait

No, you should run it soft like that, its good for the tire and if its electric, it doesnt drag the batteries down or anything...looks good.

The problem with the proper PSI for golf carts is that they have more than one use. If someone doesn’t golf, and drives their cart exclusively on pavement, then 35 PSI would be the way to go. If one uses their cart exclusively for golf and drives mostly on turf, the low 20’s would be more appropriate. Many Villagers compromise for the different uses by airing up to 28 - 30 PSI. My ATV that I ride up north in the woods over rocks and through mud and snow is optimal with 3.5 PSI for that type of terrain. It is recommended that cars up north run during the spring, summer, and fall at or near the maximum rated PSI for the tires, but that the PSI is dropped to about 22 - 24 when driving in snow during the winter for better traction. When I air down the tires on my truck and put it in 4WD to oversand (drive on the soft sand beaches) at Race Point in Cape Cod, I go to 11 PSI. They have air compressors at the exit point so people can fill their tires back up before hitting the road. The point is, optimal tire PSI depends on what conditions the vehicle is navigating. There is no “one size fits all”.

Tire Pressure gauge
 

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I've had my cart 4 years and tread still good. As with all tire wear, good tire pressure is important. I bought (on Amazon) valve stem tire pressure gauges (lowest they had was 26 lbs) normally used on cars. This makes it very easy to check the pressure by just walking around the cart - green good - yellow time to add air - red really time to add air. I also have a rechargable hand held tire inflator where I can set the amount of air and just turn on and it turns off when that pressure is reached - very easy.

I take it back, don’t know that.

Yer joking...Riiight?