Buying a lift kit for your Club Car golf cart can be both very exciting and a bit intimidating all at the same time. With all the different Club Car model variations and year ranges, there certainly is a lot of information to digest before making a purchasing decision. And that’s why we are here! We want to make sure you are getting the correct lift kit for your Club Car DS the very FIRST TIME you order.
Most Club Car DS lift kits have a specific year range when it comes to fitment and use. Most commonly, what you will see is that a lift kit from a given manufacturer fits DS models ranging from the years 1982-2003 and then again from the years 2003.5-2013. The reason for the different year ranges of fitment is because of a change in the design of the hub and spindles made by the manufacturer during mid-year of 2003. While the design change was small, it will most certainly affect your lift kit fitment and will need to be checked before you order a kit! The easiest way to check which DS model you have (to make sure you are ordering the right lift kit) is by looking at the dust covers on your hubs and checking what material they are made of.
Many customers call and ask how to check whether their Club Car DS has metal or plastic dust covers. To locate your dust covers, you will simply remove one of your front wheels and expose your hub assembly. The dust cover is the end cap on the very end of your wheel hub. On a Club Car DS cart, this dust cover will either be made of metal or plastic. If your cart has metal dust covers, then it means your cart is the OLD style and was manufactured pre 2003. If your cart has plastic dust covers, then it is the NEW style and was manufactured after mid 2003 (2003.5+). Please refer to the circled red part in the pictures below to see which part of the hub is considered the dust cover:
- Metal Dust Covers = OLD STYLE (1982-2003)
- Plastic Dust Covers = NEW Style (2003.5+)
If you cannot determine whether your dust cover is plastic or metal (due to excess grease or dirt buildup), you can simply tap the dust cover with a screwdriver and you should be able to tell what material it is made out of based on the sound it makes (metal covers will “ting” or “ping”). Or, if you have a magnet handy, hold it up to your dust cover to see if the magnet reacts (indicating metal) or not (indicating plastic).
Sometimes, we come across a situation where the dust covers have fallen off at some point in time or maybe they were removed from the cart for an unknown reason. If you find this to be the case on your cart, there is still one alternative way to identify what type of dust covers your cart should have, and that is by looking at the actual spindle itself.
To do this, you will need to remove the hub from your spindle so that the entire spindle is exposed. If your spindle is the same thickness from the beginning of the shaft all the way to the end of the threads; that is the OLD style (1982-2003). If the spindle is thicker at the beginning of the shaft and then tapers (gets smaller) at the threads, that is the NEW style (2003.5+).
We are always here to help you confirm your carts make, model and year. And to answer any other questions you might have about your Club Car!
Don’t see the Club Car Accessories or Club Car Parts you’re looking for? Give us a call at 1-844-422-7884 and we will help you out over the phone!
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Written by Trey Rhodes Jr. of the Golf Cart Expert Team
Published: 12/19/2019