Lift kit, wheels and tires

[GoofenoFF]

I am trying to plan what route to go for an '08 CC DS gas. I am leaning towards the All Sports 6" Super Sport lift kit, but was wondering what the difference is between it and the standard 6" "A" arm kit from All Sports? I did read a few posts that did not seem to think the All Sports would hold up as well as a Jakes? I am also looking at 12" wheels and 23" tires and probably will go with an all terrain tire like an STI or Sahara Classic. I saw a combo on Trademark for an STI wheel and Tire for $525 that looked nice. The offset for the wheels in that kit are 2 + 5...is that a good match for the set up I have described? Are there any brands of wheels/tires to stay away from or hold up better than others? I hope I am not asking too many questions at once and I am open for any suggestions or recommendations.
Thanks in advance

[johndeerefan]

I have a 6" all sport lift on my cart with 12" wheels and 23" tires. It has held up very well. I ride it all over rough terrain and have never had a problem with the strength of it. I really really like it. It will make your cart ride a little rougher than the stock setup.

[GoofenoFF]

That is great. Thanks for attaching the pictures. Nice looking cart. You have done almost exactly what I want to do. It looks like you have the Super Sport lift kit? I was also debating as to whether to go silver or black and I like the way the silver looks on yours. The tires and wheels look like what I want as well. What is the offset on the wheels and did you put heavier springs on the back? Where did you get your stuff?

[johndeerefan]

The wheel offset is -40mm. They are 12x7 Fairway wheels with 23x10.5x12 EFX Blade tires.

I do have the heavier springs in the rear for adding a backseat later. I also added the heavy duty clutch spring for more low end torque. It never runs out of power, it will spin out before it chokes out (gas cart).

I bought a stock cart local and they put all the add-ons for me as a package deal. I am going to dress it up with stainless, repaint the body, and have custom seat covers made over the winter.

Right now I use it as my deer scouting machine. Does very well in the woods. The all-sport lift is powder coated and won't hardly scratch. I have ran over all kinds of small trees and bushes and it still looks like the picture. Very good quality.

If you do a 6" lift be prepared for a couple of other things you will need to change to do it right on a gas cart. 1st - the engine will need to be lowered in the front as the lift will make it sit at an angle and you will loose the snubber rubber mount almost instantly (I custom fabricated a bracket). 2nd - the air intake tube will have to be modified if you lower the engine to the original angle. Last - my brake cable was rubbing the front drive pulley on the passenger side. For now I have it zip tied back, but it really needs a longer cable.

[johndeerefan]

Here is going to be my paint scheme. John Deere of course

[GoofenoFF]

Thanks JDF for getting back to me. I am going with a gasser as well so I will encounter the same situations with the engine angle, intake tube, and the brake cable. How difficult was it to make the bracket to lower the engine and do you have any pictures of this? Also what is involved in modifying the intake tube...or if there is a thread you can refer me to that deals with all of this that would work?
I figured you were probably headed toward "JD" colors when I saw your username on the first post. The mock up looks cool. There is actually a cart that some people have that I pass by on the way to my lake cottage that is done up in the John Deere theme. If I remember the next trip I will try to get a picture or two of it.

[johndeerefan]

Here is a thread where they discussed the drop bracket and showed a picture of an extension someone used. I made mine a little different. Mine looks exactly like the stock bracket, just longer in both directions with more holes. The problem is when the engine is angled upward, the rubber snubber does not stick all the way into the frame area that holds in on. So, I made that portion longer. On the brackets I made, I put holes to the skid plate exactly where the factory holes are. Plus, I added another set of holes 1" lower. That way, you can run the cart with the engine angled and not lose the snubber until you get the time to change the airbox tube. I guess you could say it is a one size fits all bracket.

I had an extra bracket made if you are interested. $15 + a couple of bucks shipping. My cart is an 03 DS. I can post a pic of it installed and of the extra one. It works great. The engine is ever so slightly tilted, but the engine oil level reads correctly and most importantly the snubber stays on. I have put mine through the test and it hasn't come off.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/gas-c...ket-issue.html

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/gas-c...estion-cc.html

[GoofenoFF]

So is the bracket basically a piece of flat stock with bolt holes drilled in it?

[johndeerefan]

I used 1/4" mild steel plate. You can either make a brand new mount like the existing snubber mount but make it 1" longer in both directions and make the 2 holes that bolt to the skid plate 1" lower than the existing ones, or you can just fabricate a rectangular plate like the one in the photo is with the 4 bolt holes. Either way will work. All you are trying to do is get the motor to sit level and the horizontal part of the snubber mount to be horizontal and the rubber part being stuck well into the holding area. If the rubber part is half way out, it will want to slide off.

[GoofenoFF]

So the stock piece just slides into the snubber bracket? If that is the case I could take a longer piece if 1/4" flat stock, put a 90 degree bend it and then figure where to put two holes in it to mount the engine bracket so the engine is level, right? I am sure I can handle that as I have access to all different kinds of metal where I work.