October 2019 October 2019 | Page 25

only raise your cart it will raise your center of gravity as well. Your driving habits will need to be adjusted in response, the chances of rolling or flipping a cart in- crease with any lift or when- ever the center of gravity is raised. You will no longer be able to take turns as fast a you normally do and you will need to use caution on hilly terrain. One of the biggest benefits you will gain from a lift is that in raising the center of gravity your clearance is increased. Now you can navigate rough terrains you probably couldn’t before! Golf Cart Lift Kits come in several types and lift sizes depending on your make of cart. The most common lifts are spindle and drop axle. Recently long travel adjust- able lifts have taken golf cart lifts to a whole new lev- el! These truly amazing lifts allow you to be in control of your carts height and easily change it to suit your needs. Spindle lifts are probably the easiest kits to install as well as the cheapest. Spin- dle lifts simply replace the factory spindles lifting the cart. Drop axle lifts replace the entire axle and can be a little more expensive and complicated to install. How- ever a axle lift is a much stronger cleaner looking lift. To best decide what lift is right for you here are some questions you should ask yourself: • What is the cart primarily used for? • Are you bothered by your carts current limitations? • Do you use the cart on a golf course or on the street? • What is your budget and are you able to go over it if need be? • Is hauling large loads or climbing hills important? If so are you willing to further modify your cart? • Do you have the time and money to modify other components if need be? If your cart is primarily used on a course or the street, you should either not lift it or go with an adjustable long travel kit. Golf cours- es do not allow aggressive tread or all terrain tires due to the damage they cause to turf. An adjustable kit will give you the freedom to drop your cart down and swap your tires when you want to play a round. All ter- rain tires are designed to be used both on and off road, however you will wear them down faster on pavement and the ride is not all the time pleasant. It will be up to you to decide if the time spent adjusting your lift and changing your tires out is worth it, or more trouble than it’s worth. Most people who spend more time either on or off road but once in a while do the opposite ben- efit the most from a long travel kit. If you spend most to all of your time off road then a more permanent lift is prob- ably the best choice for you. It will then be more a matter of deciding between a spin- dle or a drop axle lift. Drop axles are usually the best lift kits you can buy and there are several great pre- mium manufacturer’s such as RHOX, Jake’s or All Sports Mfg. Always invest as much as possible, as quality really makes a huge difference in a lift kit. Save up if you have to but never sacrifice quality for cost! If you have the time and the money to invest in your cart it can become a great hobby for you and your family. You will be surprised at how one modification will lead to two or three, and if done cor- rectly you will end up with performance mixed with style. Just always remem- ber safety and make sure any changes you make you research completely before- hand. OCTOBER 2019 25