In the last few years an increasing number of golf cars have had lift kits installed on them.  This basically involves putting oversized tires on each wheel and lifting the body suspension high enough to accommodate the taller tires.  Lifting the body suspension may include a modified front axle, longer shocks, and leaf spring spacers depending on the car.  All of the major brands may be lifted.  This gives the car a muscle look - a golf car on steroids, if you will.  The alteration lifts the seats and body, it increases the ground clearance by several inches depending on the tire size used and it also raises the car's center of gravity.  This creates a sideways instability and it is easier to roll the car over.  Be very careful if you already have or plan to install a lift kit.  Oversized tires will result in a higher top end speed due to the larger diameter tires.   However you will lose low end torque and the car will not pull or go up hills as well.  In fact the car can actually stall on steeper inclines.  This may happen with gas or electric cars.  Still another effect is the front end alignment which may be altered  when installing the lift kit. So be certain to check it.  This may occur to one tire or both depending on the alignment problem.  Still another consideration when altering the car's suspension is the amount of gas engine tilt you create.  Remember the engine must get an adequate supply of oil to the upper end.  Excess tilt may compromise the engine lubrication.  Be careful. See Suspensions below.

OVERSIZED TIRES:
You want to put over sized tires on your car but what size?  Remember that your pulling power is reduced as the size of the tire grows taller.  If you are going to use it on flat ground or pulling power is not important - go with a 21 - 23" tire.   If you will be using the car on hilly terrain or the engine performance (or the battery pack) is only fair,  we recommend staying with a 20 or 21" tire.  Another consideration about over sized tires is the width of the tire.   If the tire is too wide and it is to be mounted on a regular golf car wheel, the inside edge of the tire will probably scrub the frame of the car.  You need to space out the wheel with washers or you need to buy wheels with a negative offset.  This will allow enough clearance so that the tire will not scrub the frame.

OFFSET WHEELS:
If you will notice, most all golf car wheels have the mount flange in the center plane of the wheel.  Offset means that the mount flange is moved toward (negative offset) or away from (positive offset) the car.  A negative offset wheel will hold more of the tire further away from the car.  This is very important if you put on oversized tires, as in a lift kit.  If the wheel is not negative offset (further away from the car) the tire will rub on the frame in a turn.  Different offsets are available.

TIRES:
The modern golf car tire is tubeless and comes in a variety of sizes and tread patterns. Most golf car tires measure 18" tall (outer diameter) x 8.5" wide (across the tread) x 8" at the bead (inner diameter). Read: 18 by 850 by 8. Tread patterns vary from smooth (no tread at all) for greens mowers, on through straight rib, sawtooth, knobby and super knobby. On golf car tires the designation "NHS" means Non Highway Service. Simply put, the tire cannot stand the pressures created by high loads and/or high speed rotation. They are great for golf car speeds but if you want to go fast then use a "B" or"C" rated tire. Tire air pressure is critical to long life. Proper tire pressure is usually indicated on the sidewall. Your golf car should run between 15 and 25 pounds of pressure in each tire. Keep in mind that the greater the pressure the easier the car rolls but the ride become stiffer and the center of the tread may wear prematurely. Traction is also reduced. Lower air pressure provides a softer ride but takes more power. In a gas car this low pressure is OK because it has plenty of extra power but in an electric car that power must come from your batteries. It will drain them a little faster depending on how low you go. If you go too low by choice or oversight then the outer edges of the tire will wear prematurely. If the outer shoulders of a tire are rounded and the tread thin, you may have a slow leak or you are not checking the tire pressure often enough. Low tires are more prone to pick up carelessly discarded tees or a sharp bump can unseat the tire bead causing a flat tire.

WHEELS:
The rubber tire described above is useless without a wheel to which it mounts. Today most wheels are steel but in the near future composite (plastic) wheels will become common. Wheels have rim flanges at their outer edges that provide a 'seat' for the 'bead' of the tire and a small hole for the valve stem. Golf car wheels are generally 8" across at the bead seat and 7" across from flange to flange. Most have a lug bolt pattern of 4 holes evenly spaced on a 4" circle. The wheel and tire are mounted on the axle hub and secured with lug nuts (the tapered part of the lug nut goes against the wheel to center it). Golf car wheels are designed for low speeds and should not be used for highway travel. If you need trailer tires then be sure to use DOT approved wheels to mount them. Just like the tire, the golf car wheel cannot sustain the stress of high speed rotation under heavy loads.

SUSPENSIONS:
Golf car suspensions and steering geometry's are very similar to autos in that the front end alignment can greatly affect the tire life and ease of steering. Worn bushings and tie rod ends can cause wander and darting even at low speeds. Improper camber, caster or toe in can cause similar difficulties. With greater speeds minor misalignments become far more evident and the effects more dangerous. Unexpected darting in oncoming traffic can be hair raising. I have already discussed tire inflation but reading the tire wear is tough. Look at your front tires straight on. Assuming they were put on at the same time their tread should look similar. If not you may have alignment problems. Improper adjustments can create a sideways scrubbing action of the tire that appears as a feathering of flaking of the rubber to one side of the tread design.

Installation of lift kits or accessories on vehicles should be done by a professional. Genesis assumes no liability for injuries or any other damage as a result of any alterations that are done to the vehicle. The Buyer agrees to indemnify and hold Genesis harmless from and against any and all claims for loss or damage arising out of the acts or omissions of failure to act of the Buyer or any of its agents, servants or contractors in connection with the rendering of services by the Buyer, and for all claims of or damage to property or injury or death of any person directly or indirectly resulting therefrom, including cost and reasonable attorneys fees.