Deciding to install a club car jakes lift kit is usually the moment a standard golf cart turns into something way more interesting. Most people start out with a basic cart for the golf course or just buzzing around the neighborhood, but eventually, you realize that the stock height is pretty limiting. Whether you want to clear some rocky terrain on a trail or you just want your cart to look a lot more aggressive, a lift kit is the foundation of every cool custom build.
Jake's has been around for a long time, and they've basically become the go-to name for Club Car owners. There's a reason you see their name pop up in every forum and Facebook group. They don't just make parts that fit; they make parts that actually hold up when you're bouncing over tree roots or hauling a heavy load of mulch.
What Makes Jake's Different?
If you've spent any time looking at parts online, you know there are dozens of cheap knock-off lift kits out there. You've seen them—the ones that look like they're made of soda cans and held together with hope. Going with a club car jakes lift kit is a different experience entirely.
The first thing you'll notice is the weight and the finish. These kits are usually made from high-strength steel and finished with a thick powder coating. This matters because golf carts live in a world of mud, rain, and occasional salt. A cheap kit will start rusting within a season, but a Jake's kit is built to actually survive the elements. Plus, the engineering is precise. You aren't going to be "massaging" parts with a sledgehammer just to get the bolts to line up.
Choosing the Right Style for Your Ride
Not all lift kits are created equal, and Jake's offers a few different flavors depending on what you're planning to do with your Club Car. You've mainly got to decide between a spindle lift and an A-arm lift.
The Spindle Lift Kit
This is the most common choice for people who want a moderate lift without a massive headache. A spindle lift replaces your stock spindles with "dropped" versions that give you that extra 3 to 6 inches of clearance.
It's a great "middle-of-the-road" option. It's relatively easy to install, keeps your factory suspension feel mostly intact, and it's usually the most affordable way to get bigger tires under the wheel wells. If you're mostly staying on pavement or light gravel paths, this is probably all you need.
The A-Arm Lift Kit
Now, if you're planning on actually taking your Club Car off-road, you really want to look at the A-arm style club car jakes lift kit. This setup replaces the entire front suspension. Instead of just swapping a spindle, you're putting in new control arms.
The big benefit here is stability and ride quality. A-arm kits give you a much wider stance, which makes the cart feel way less "tippy" when you're turning. It also smooths out the bumps significantly. It's a bit more work to install, but the difference in how the cart handles is night and day.
The Installation Experience
Let's be real: installing a lift kit sounds intimidating if you aren't a mechanic. But honestly, if you have a decent set of sockets, a floor jack, and some jack stands, you can definitely do this in a Saturday afternoon.
One of the things I love about the club car jakes lift kit is that the instructions are actually written for humans. They don't look like they were run through a bad translation program ten times. Everything is straightforward.
The biggest tip I can give anyone starting this project is to use plenty of PB Blaster or WD-40 on your old bolts a few days before you start. Club Cars, especially older DS models, have a way of seizing up those suspension bolts. If you can get the old stuff off without snapping a bolt, the new Jake's hardware goes on like a dream.
Wheels and Tires: The Perfect Match
You can't just install a club car jakes lift kit and keep those tiny 8-inch stock wheels. Well, you could, but it would look like a bodybuilder who skipped leg day for five years. It just looks wrong.
Once you've got that lift, you can comfortably fit 20-inch, 22-inch, or even 23-inch tires depending on the height of the kit you chose. This is where the fun really starts. You can go with "all-terrain" tires that have those beefy lugs for traction in the mud, or "street-ready" tires if you just want that lifted look but want a smooth, quiet ride on the asphalt.
Just keep in mind that larger tires will change your gear ratio slightly. You might lose a tiny bit of torque on the low end, but you'll usually pick up a couple of miles per hour on the top end. It's a trade-off most people are more than happy to make.
Performance and Handling
So, how does it actually feel once it's all bolted up? The first thing you'll notice is the view. You're sitting higher, you can see over the hedges, and you just feel more like you're in a "real" vehicle rather than a toy.
But beyond the ego boost, the handling changes too. A club car jakes lift kit is designed to maintain proper steering geometry. This is a huge deal. Cheap kits often mess up the "toe" and "camber," leading to a cart that wanders all over the road or wears out tires in a month. With Jake's, as long as you follow the alignment steps in the manual, the cart should track straight and true.
If you went with an A-arm kit, you'll also notice the steering feels a bit more precise. There's less "slop" in the wheel because you've replaced old, worn-out bushings with fresh, heavy-duty hardware.
Maintenance Tips for Your Lifted Cart
Once your club car jakes lift kit is installed, you can't just forget about it forever. Lifted carts take a bit more abuse than stock ones, especially if you're using that extra clearance to explore the woods.
Every few months, it's a good idea to crawl under there and check your bolts. Vibration is a real thing, and you don't want a suspension bolt backing out while you're at full throttle. Also, most Jake's kits come with grease fittings (zerks). Do yourself a favor and hit those with a grease gun once or twice a year. It keeps the ride quiet and prevents the bushings from wearing out prematurely.
Is It Worth the Investment?
Look, a lift kit isn't the cheapest upgrade you can buy, but it's definitely the one with the biggest impact. It transforms the utility of the vehicle. Suddenly, you aren't worried about hitting a stump or getting stuck in a patch of soft grass.
When you go with a club car jakes lift kit, you're also protecting the resale value of your cart. If you ever decide to sell it, having a name-brand lift kit is a major selling point. People know Jake's. They know it's not a "budget" build where corners were cut.
At the end of the day, lifting your Club Car is about making it yours. It's about taking a standard machine and giving it some personality and capability. Whether you're hauling a deer out of the woods, taking the kids for a ride, or just trying to be the coolest cart in the campground, you really can't go wrong with this setup. It's tough, it looks great, and it actually works the way it's supposed to. What more could you really ask for?