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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Esther Teare | Posted under Golf
Golf Cart Wheels Construction
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The price, strength, weight, and overall performance of golf cart wheels are directly related to the manufacturing technique used to make it. The most common and least expensive method of wheel manufacturing is gravity casting. Gravity casting is where molten metal is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool and harden. This manufacturing system works very well, but it does require that the wheel to be heavier and thicker to compensate for porosity in the metal. Another method of making golf cart wheels is the pressurized casting method. The pressurized casting method is a method that places the molten metal under pressure or in a vacuum to compress the metal. This compression reduces the porosity and increases the strength. The pressurized casting method is more expensive than gravity casting, but it does produce lighter, stronger golf cart wheels. The most expensive and the highest quality method of making golf cart wheels are forging. Forging is done by heating a piece of metal under millions of pounds of pressure. The forging method produces extremely strong, dense golf cart wheels which can be made lighter because less material is actually needed for the required strength. There is a variation of forging called roll forging takes a rough cast rim and forges it into its final shape while rolling. This type of forging nets the effect of strength with less material and lighter weight. Golf cart wheels play a major role in the ride and handling of a golf cart. From a ride standpoint, the weight of the golf cart wheels has a lot to do with the ability of the suspension to control the tire and wheel motion over bumps. This is the "unsprung weight" issue that seems to come up frequently when talking about golf cart performance. Unsprung weight is the weight of the golf cart that is not supported by the suspension. This includes the golf cart wheels, tire and brake components. Since the golf cart's suspension does not support this weight, it is not easily controlled when a bump is encountered. The lighter the unsprung weight, the less affect it will have on the ride, and the easier it is for the shocks and springs to work together to keep the tire in consistent contact with the ground's surface. The handling of a golf cart is always improved with lighter weight. As in the case of ride, the lighter the unsprung weight, the more easily controlled is the motion of the tire and golf cart wheels, and the better the adherence to the ground's surface. Another factor in golf cart handling has to do with the golf cart wheels strength and flex. More rigid golf cart wheels will reduce wheel flex during cornering and improve tire performance. Golf cart wheels with lower weight and with less flexing will have the affect of improving steering responsiveness. About The Author: Esther has worked for golf cart manufacturers for more than 10 years as golf cart technician. He has extensive knowledge about various different models and brands and common problem associated with each different model. Esther has made his finding open to public at http://www.allsportnews.com/ to facilitate the evaluation of different models of custom golf carts |
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