Date: 01/02/2018
By: Alex S. and The GCTS Staff
Lifted Golf Carts are growing in popularity each and every year, and with good reason: Lifted Golf Carts are much more capable than the limited 2-passenger ATV ($9K-$13K) and much more affordable than the expensive 4-passenger UTV/Side-by-Sides on the market ($18K-$30K). Purchasing a lift kit for your cart offers an economical, convenient and fun alternative to getting around your farm, neighborhood or community. And with a HUGE aftermarket full of golf cart accessories and parts to choose from, lifting your cart is easier (and more affordable) than ever!
Below, we discuss the reasons our customers lift their carts, the cost/time it takes, and some popular brands. Read on!
Lifted Golf Carts Open a Whole New World of Possibility
Adding a lift kit to your golf cart gives it added ground clearance and ride stability by widening the overall footprint of your cart. This added ground clearance also gives your cart the space it needs to fit larger more aggressive All Terrain Golf Cart Tires inside your wheel wells. The combination of larger clearance along with the addition of taller and wider All Terrain tires both add up to your cart being able to handle terrain that it could not before!
Being able to tackle new terrain is the primary reason why tens-of-thousands of people lift their golf carts each year, and is a major reason that lifted golf carts are so popular with hunters. Hunters regularly drive their carts through harsh, wooded or snowy terrain/brush that a standard cart would not be able to handle – leading most hunters to add a lift kit to their cart. The bottom line is: if you plan to drive your golf cart off-road, lifting it is a must.
Driving off-road is not the only reason golf cart owners lift their carts though.
Lifting Your Cart for Looks and/or Rear-End Functionality
Some cart owners lift their carts purely for looks, but many cart owners choose to lift their cart to avoid rubbing their rear tires after adding the weight of a rear seat kit or cargo bed to their golf cart. Lifting your golf cart can definitely help with rear-end rubbing (remember… more clearance!) and also opens up the possibility of fitting oversized street tires (commonly known as Comfort Ride tires) on your cart.
Comfort Ride/ Oversized Street Tires allow you to achieve the smoothest ride possible on the road with your cart. These Comfort Ride tires are typically 20.5” tall (205/65-10, 215/50-12, 215/40-14) or 23” Tall Street Tires. Comfort Ride tires have a higher sidewall with more rubber and a greater contact-patch with the road, which results in the softest and smoothest ride your cart can get.
The point is - whether you are looking to tackle new terrain, achieve a “tougher” look, or smooth your ride out and avoid rubbing – lifting your golf cart can be the answer to all of these things.
The Economics of Lifting Your Golf Cart (Whether Gas or Electric)
What does it cost?
Both Gas and Electric golf carts are extremely economical forms of transportation, and lifting your gas or electric golf cart can be just as economical as operating it with the hundreds of lift kit options available on the market these days.
The average cost for a golf cart lift kit offered on our website is $238.95 (with free shipping, and no tax) which is a great value when you consider the amount of engineering and testing that goes into building a quality lift kit! Whether your golf cart is gas powered or electric driven, there is typically no difference in the cost of a lift kit for your given cart. So you may be asking, “Why are there both ‘Gas lift kits’ and ‘Electric lift kit’ versions” available for my cart? The reason there are different lift kits for the different drive types available for each cart is because the drivetrain/undercarriage may have slight variances in their factory engineered design - which means lift kits will need a slightly different design to fit each cart drivetrain properly.
Regardless of if your golf cart is Gas or Electric driven, the lift kit made for your cart will typically be the same (or roughly the same) price. The more important thing to ensure is that any lift kit you purchase is made of high-quality engineered steel and built/tested to both ISO manufacturing and strength certifications that are meant to handle rugged terrain (all the kits offered on our site are).
For what you get, a lift kit is a relatively inexpensive modification that can take your cart from ‘normal’ to ‘extreme’ quickly!
Taking the Leap: Lifting Your Cart
What brands are out there?
If your cart did not come lifted when you purchased it you can easily add a golf cart lift kit to join the “lifted” club quickly! There are hundreds of lift kit options for all makes and models: EZ-GO golf cart lift kits, Club Car lift kits & Yamaha golf cart lift kits and all price points.
Some of the most popular and widely known lift kit brands are: Jakes Lift Kits, Madjax lift kits, KPW Lift Kits, RHOX Lift Kits, and Steeleng Lift Kits. While there are indeed other brands available on the market, some are not up to the quality standards required to be listed on our website.
Higher Priced: Jakes Lift kits have been around on the market the longest and are typically more expensive than average, but are high quality and made in the USA. Madjax Lift Kits are slightly more expensive than average as well (even though they are made overseas) but these kits are tested to the highest quality standards and certifications.
Mid-Level Priced: In recent years, many high-quality and less expensive brands have entered the market: KPW Lift Kits offer Heavy-Duty Double A-Arm designs (similar to Madjax and RHOX, but at an mid-level price point). All KPW lift kits are ISO certified and have the tensile strength required to take a beating as well. Similar A-Arm offerings are available through STEELENG, while RHOX brand lift kits offer Jake’s Quality Spindle Lift kits at a lower price.
How long does a lift kit take to Install?
Installing a golf cart lift kit typically takes “an afternoon” if you are mechanically inclined. An expert mechanic will be able to get a lift kit installed in a just a few hours.
If you are not mechanical at all, we highly recommend allowing your local golf cart dealership (or auto shop) install your lift kit. Golf Cart Lift Kits typically come in an easy to transport box (not larger than a picnic basket), so it is easy to take with to your mechanic. Many of our customers even have us ship their lift kits directly to their golf cart dealers/mechanic for installation.
If you have any questions at all about lifting your golf cart or technical questions about golf cart lift kits, please give us a call at 844-422-7884!
We here at the Golf Cart Tire Supply are lift kit EXPERTS and all of our staff received an ‘A+’ on our Golf Cart Lift Kit final examinations =)
All the best,
Alex & The Golf Cart Tire Supply Team