Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum - View Single Post - What are the implications of adjusting the governor?

nickdalzell1 · 10-24-2019, 11:56 PM

In some cases, (especially if you bypass the RPM limiter of a club car) you can run the rings off the pistons and suddenly find yourself with little to no compression.

I went through a phase where I wanted so badly to have a 2-cycle Harley cart. It being 2-stroke I assumed (incorrectly) that it could go super high RPMs like a Honda CBR dirt bike. The rear ends on those are set like a granny gear so they can only go like 10-12 MPH without the motor eating itself alive. I found out the hard way when I disconnected the governor cable and went WoT downhill.

EZGOs can go maybe 18 maximum without high speed gears. After that, your rings might be part of the smoke you trail behind you just before the engine stops.

The best analogy I was told after I destroyed the Harley's engine (it not only ate the rings but the piston, needle bearings, and rod) was Grandma's old Olds 442. Driven to church on Sunday never exceeding 30 MPH. She dies, her grandson inherits it. Being a 442 he wants to race it like a muscle car. engine eats itself. Apparently the rings wear a certain way when driven slower for a long time, and suddenly going super fast goes outside that groove and destroys the rings.

10-24-2019, 11:56 PM	#3
nickdalzell1 Resident Curmudgeon Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 1,279	Re: What are the implications of adjusting the governor? In some cases, (especially if you bypass the RPM limiter of a club car) you can run the rings off the pistons and suddenly find yourself with little to no compression. I went through a phase where I wanted so badly to have a 2-cycle Harley cart. It being 2-stroke I assumed (incorrectly) that it could go super high RPMs like a Honda CBR dirt bike. The rear ends on those are set like a granny gear so they can only go like 10-12 MPH without the motor eating itself alive. I found out the hard way when I disconnected the governor cable and went WoT downhill. EZGOs can go maybe 18 maximum without high speed gears. After that, your rings might be part of the smoke you trail behind you just before the engine stops. The best analogy I was told after I destroyed the Harley's engine (it not only ate the rings but the piston, needle bearings, and rod) was Grandma's old Olds 442. Driven to church on Sunday never exceeding 30 MPH. She dies, her grandson inherits it. Being a 442 he wants to race it like a muscle car. engine eats itself. Apparently the rings wear a certain way when driven slower for a long time, and suddenly going super fast goes outside that groove and destroys the rings.