ordered a Jakes long travel kit for my EZGO TXT and am second guessing myself

[coldair]

after reading the FB page for Jakes, should I cancel ?
how is their customer support ?

are people really having a lot of problems with leaking coil overs?

[slonomo]

I read those same reviews. Some of them sound very suspect, but you never know. I also saw a ton of reviews saying great things. It's like that with most online reviews.

Early on when Jakes got purchased, the shocks were replaced with the current version, which are much cheaper. I also believe they have corrected the problem on the early version of those shocks.

I have not used any other brands of LT kit, but I have used several Jakes LT kits and they are built well and handle excellent, best modification IMO. On the kits I used the quality was great. My only issue was that the directions were a little lacking, but if you have mechanical ability it won't be an issue.

If you do have issues with the shocks, you can always replace them with some atv shocks which will be much heavier duty and are battle tested. The money spent on the lift kit is worth the price, even without the shocks.

[coldair]

thanks for the reply at the last moment I switched to Jakes from my first choice of the RHOX A Arm kit.

I bought cart already lifted and have had it for almost 1.5 years and the ride has been horrible wandering all over the road and eating tires. I just picked up a set of RHOX road hawks 10/23/12 when I noticed it had no rear shocks then I noticed the motor had been rubbing against the fiberglass body due to the rear lift being done with 12" rear shackle. this has lead me to a long travel kit and I ordered new heavier duty rear springs, stock shackles and stock rear shocks.

[jclark138]

Not sure what version of Jakes LT I have (early or late) It has been on the cart about 3 yrs, (but has had little use for other reasons) Both shocks leak, most if not all of the heim joints squeak, ( regardless of type of lube I’ve tried) the turning radius is quite a bit larger than a stock cart. The unit rides well, and looks great, but it’s too wide for my use, and so plans for me are to go another route.
My 2 cents,

[slonomo]

Originally Posted by jclark138

Not sure what version of Jakes LT I have (early or late) It has been on the cart about 3 yrs, (but has had little use for other reasons) Both shocks leak, most if not all of the heim joints squeak, ( regardless of type of lube I’ve tried) the turning radius is quite a bit larger than a stock cart. The unit rides well, and looks great, but it’s too wide for my use, and so plans for me are to go another route.
My 2 cents,

Man that's crazy, I never had any of those issues. I wonder if some kits are made differently or if they source parts differently for different lifts? Heim joints usually squeak if they are all steel and are getting rusty. I've never had a teflon heim make any noise. Heims are not expensive, you could change those quite easily.

[jclark138]

Originally Posted by slonomo

Man that's crazy, I never had any of those issues. I wonder if some kits are made differently or if they source parts differently for different lifts? Heim joints usually squeak if they are all steel and are getting rusty. I've never had a teflon heim make any noise. Heims are not expensive, you could change those quite easily.

Could be mine was assembled during a transitional time.
Yes, I could change out the joints, ( my didn’t come with lined units) and replace the shocks but none of it should need to be done with very little mileage on it.
And for my needs, I should have checked the width & turning circle.

[coldair]

Originally Posted by jclark138

Could be mine was assembled during a transitional time.
Yes, I could change out the joints, ( my didn’t come with lined units) and replace the shocks but none of it should need to be done with very little mileage on it.
And for my needs, I should have checked the width & turning circle.

I thought the turning radius was supposed to be tighter with a long travel kit? I know it was on my LT400 quad and my Rhino when I had them. I hope it is an improvement over the poorly done current 4" drop axle lift.

[jclark138]

Originally Posted by coldair

I thought the turning radius was supposed to be tighter with a long travel kit? I know it was on my LT400 quad and my Rhino when I had them. I hope it is an improvement over the poorly done current 4" drop axle lift.

I’m no help with the drop axle comparison, but my LT needs more “room “ compared to stock. No measurements, just won’t go where it used to.

[slonomo]

I did notice on one cart I built that the turning radius increased. It's just from the width and the lack of increased steering angle. The stock steering remained the same and the "Ackerman Angle" did not change, therefore the turning radius is increased.

There is a way to correct that. The steering would have to me modified for more clearance to allow the wheels to turn in at a sharper angle. It can be complicated, but one way is to add a rack and pinion unit so that it eliminates the pitman arm swing and steering rod that connects the two spindles. This can also correct bump steer and camber change through the suspension cycle.

I will concede that the Jakes LT kit is not a perfect operating front end. It has its drawbacks. With that said, it can be improved and made near perfect with some dedication and work. It also is vastly better off road than any stock suspension system. The ride quality is superior to a stock front end and especially a standard lift kit.

Parts quality seems to be the biggest issue I'm hearing. However, no one had addressed the fact that some issues could come from improper installation and or workmanship. Not saying that's the case, but it's a factor.

Suspension and steering work is not a cookie cutter job. It requires a bit of knowledge and experience to be able to correct an issue properly. Most of the info is available online, but it does take some reading, and I'm not going to lie, it takes some ability. I would not call suspensions and steering work a DIY type project for someone with zero suspension and steering knowledge. One incorrectly installed part can cause a lot of problems and even injury or death. It's that serious of a modification.

Even though these "kits" are supposed to be bolt on, there is no such thing as a "bolt on perfect" kit for any type of non stock modification for any vehicle. You just don't bolt these kits on and they're perfect instantly. To expect something to just bolt on and be perfect without some tweaking and fiddling and adjustment is just not realistic.

Also, for the price, we cannot expect something like an off road suspension to last forever or to be without problems. The price of one of these kits vs. building your own double wishbone long travel suspension kit is not even close. I've done it. It take a ton of time, and a reasonable amount of money to design and build your own suspension system, and have it work properly without issue. Nearly impossible for the average DIY'er. So these kits are supposed to get you there quickly, inexpensively, and without a ton of fabrication work. I would say any off road suspension kit is a 75% kit, meaning, they get you 75% the way....the other 25% is up to your and your abilities to get it right.

[doo dah]

I have an older Jake's LT, like 2014. Mine came with VW bug "coilovers" that I replaced a few times before upgrading to Polaris Predator coilovers which made a HUGE difference. My turning radius is tight and I'm on 25" tires. No squeaking or other noise issues in what is going on 6 years of easy hood cruising, rocky ranch runs, and 50% of time on the beach. I do disassemble to clean up and paint with POR15 every couple years.