Golf Cart Tire Comparison: Street/Turf Tires

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Written by: Christian Attlesey

Read Time: 3-5 minutes
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You've been searching the web for brand-new golf cart wheels and tires. You've looked at listing after listing: compared pricing, checked colors, and taken measurements.

You've finally decided on getting wheels with a street/turf tire tread pattern, but now, you may be wondering- Which one should I buy?

Although we won't go as far as to tell you precisely what tire is the best, we've compared some of the most popular street golf cart tire treads on the market.

We looked at some essential information to help you decide what tire will work best for your golf cart and driving terrain. Let's jump right in!

Snapshot Of What We Cover

• Tread Design

• Tread Width

• Tread Depth

• Ply Rating

• Tire Max Load

• DOT Approval

Hopefully, the above information gives you a general idea of what you can expect from each tire and helps you make better purchasing decisions based on your needs.

Before we begin...

Before we discuss things in depth, let's get a few things out of the way.

First, keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive. This review covers a sampling of the many street/turf golf cart tire options for you to purchase.

The second thing to note is that golf carts are low-speed vehicles. Being a low-speed vehicle means that although things like tread depth and width, Ply rating, and the other things we cover are important, they are not crucial to the degree they are on automotive tires.

Doing 70 miles an hour down the highway over hundreds of miles is a lot different than driving your golf cart through the neighborhood or playing a round of golf.

Third, all of the tires we used in this comparison were for 8" or 10" wheels and except for the Kenda Hole-N-1 and Kenda KTW, all measurements were taken without the tires being mounted and inflated.

Most of these tires in this comparison are available for 12" and 14" wheels as well and taking measurements on those larger tires or when the tires are mounted and inflated may produce results that are different than what you see below.

That being said, we think the information we provide will still give you greater insight into these specific tires and golf cart tires more generally and help you think through your wants and needs. 

Golf Cart Tire Discussion Points

Before we jump into the specifics of each tire, let's briefly discuss what each of the above topics means and how that impacts your golf cart tire.

Tread Design

When we talk about tread design, we are primarily referring to the tread layout on the face of the tire.

Does the tread go against the direction of the tire or with the movement of the tire? Does it combo and do both? Is the tire tread designed to maximize grip or maintain a smooth ride?

As we said earlier, this isn't as important as it is for your car. Still, over the long haul, tread design can affect how much gas (or battery) you use when driving your cart (does it increase mileage or decrease it?) and can certainly impact the riding experience.

Tread Width and Depth 

Tread width refers to the spacing between the tread notches, while tread depth refers to how deep the tread channels are on each golf cart tire.

These two measurements can loosely indicate how long your tread will last before your tires go bald (deeper tread = longer tread life). 

Ply Rating 

Similar to automotive tires, Ply ratings for golf cart tires do not indicate how many layers of material are used when making the tires; it is more of a general indication of how strong the golf cart tire is and what kind of pressure it can withstand.

The higher the Ply rating, the stronger the tire. However, remember that increasing the Ply rating will also increase the tire's stiffness and can make riding your golf cart a bit more "rough."

Consider where you most often drive your golf cart and use that as a barometer. As you will notice below, most golf cart tires stick within the 4 to 6 Ply range, with most street tires staying at four-ply.

Tire Max Load

A tire's max load is the most amount of weight the tire is designed to carry. Remember that this is for each individual tire, not a set of four.

The Max Load corresponds very much with the tire's Ply rating. Very rarely will any golf cart's total weight exceed a group of four golf cart tires max load.

DOT Approval 

Simply put, has the tire met all the safety regulations put forth by the Department of Transportation for low-speed vehicle use? Although it sounds crucial, DOT approvals are not as necessary for golf cart tires as for automotive vehicles, but it is still good information to know.

Ideal Application 

What is the best use case for this specific tire? Is it primarily for street use? Or more geared toward lawn, turf, and trail applications?

Looking for some street or off-road tires for your cart? Check out our selection of top-rated golf cart tires!

The Tires

With that out of the way, let's talk about the tires. The tires in this comparison are as follows:

• Arisun Cruze

• Excel Endura

• GCS™ Forerunner

• Wanda WDT

• Kenda Hole-N-1

• Kenda KTW Golf

• Excel Golf Pro II

• Arisun X-Sport

First up? The Arisun Cruze

Arisun Cruze

• Tread Design: The tread design on the Arisun Cruze is an iconic and well-copied tread pattern. The tread has small protrusions that go against the movement of the tire, but the tread pattern is closely grouped and not very deep, so the grip isn't too excessive. In addition, the design moves across the tire in a wave-like way for a unique look. The small channels provide for slight amounts of water and dirt to escape for use in wet/dry conditions.
• Tread Width: 3.81 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 3.81 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 675 lbs. per tire at 30 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: Primarily for golf cart owners who drive their carts on roadways, golf courses, walking paths, and well-maintained gravel or dirt paths. Acceptable for light off-road applications, but there are better options if that is your primary driving terrain.

Excel Endura

• Tread Design: Small designs on the side of the tread to provide slight cross-grip action, along with a solid center pattern that goes directly down the center of the tire, make this tire ideal for street use. Narrow grooves provide water and dirt escape routes for use in wet and dry conditions.
• Tread Width: 4.5 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 6.3 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 665 lbs. per tire at 30 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: As stated in the "Tread Design" portion, this tire is perfect for customers who primarily drive their golf carts on roadways, golf courses, walking paths, and well-maintained gravel or dirt paths. Acceptable for use in light-duty off-road applications but not mainly geared toward this use case.

GCS™ Forerunner

• Tread Design: With two unique center groove channels and wide side channels for water and dirt escape routes, the Forerunner boasts a tread designed for pavement and hard surfaces. Most of the tread design moves in the direction of the tire for smooth and easy driving, while the large outside grooves still provide grip in both wet and dry scenarios.
• Tread Width: 8.1 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 5.5 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 675 lbs. per tire at 30 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: This tire is excellent for those who primarily drive their golf carts on roadways, golf courses, walking paths, and well-maintained gravel or dirt paths. Acceptable for use in light-duty off-road applications.

Wanda Turf/All Terrain (WDT)

• Tread Design: The Wanda Turf boasts a slightly more aggressive tread pattern than your standard golf cart street tires. As shown in the photo above, the tread pattern consists of knobbier protrusions that cut across the direction of the tire to provide enhanced traction and grip on the driving surface. However, it is similar to many high-end zero-turn lawnmowers, so although the tread has solid gripping power, it won't tear up your lawn or the golf course.
• Tread Width: 6.3 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 7.6 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 815 lbs. per tire at 22 psi
• DOT Approval: No, not DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: For golf cart owners who primarily drive their carts on their lawns, dirt paths, and footpaths. Acceptable for street use, but there are better options if you mainly use your cart on pavement or on the golf course.

Kenda Hole-N-1

• Tread Design: A standard feature on most OEM golf carts, the Hole-N-1 is an iconic and well-known tread design. Found on most golf course golf carts, the tread design on this Kenda tire is designed to keep damage to a minimum while still maintaining grip. As you will see below, this tire is very similar to the KTW tire but features a deeper tread for longer life.
• Tread Width: 5.1 millimeters
• Tread Depth:5.5 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 815 lbs. per tire at 22 psi
• DOT Approval: Not DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: For golf cart owners who primarily drive their carts on their lawns, dirt paths, and footpaths. Acceptable for street use, but there are better options if you mainly use your cart on pavement or on the golf course.

Kenda KTW

• Tread Design: Although not as popular as the Kenda-Hole-N-1 tire, the tread design on the KTW is almost identical. Designed almost exclusively for golf course use, the tread pattern on the KTW features five tread groupings separated by thin channels. Most of the tread is designed to move in the direction of the tire to provide smooth driving on golf courses and roadways.
• Tread Width:6 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 3 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 815 lbs. per tire at 15 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: For golf cart owners who primarily drive their carts on their golf courses, lawns, and roadways.

Excel Golf Pro II

• Tread Design: The Golf Pro tires consist of 7 tread protrusions spread out across the face of the tire. By utilizing this many different points of contact but keeping the tread grouping close together and shallow, you get a consistent grip but without the large spacing typically associated with off-road or all-terrain golf cart tires.
• Tread Width: 5.5 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 5.5 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 Ply
• Tire Max Load: 665 Ibs @ 30 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: Primarily for cart owners who drive on roadways, golf courses, footpaths, walking paths, and well-maintained dirt and gravel paths. Acceptable for use on lawns and light off-road use as well.

Arisun X-Sport

• Tread Design: Designed with a unique tread pattern, the X-Sport has wide channels for water and debris to escape and a singular protrusion down the middle for consistent road contact. You get a consistent grip in wet and dry conditions by combining directional and cross patterns with wider tread channels.   
• Tread Width: 5.8 millimeters
• Tread Depth: 4.3 millimeters
• Ply Rating: 4 PLY
• Tire Max Load: 675 Ibs @ 30 psi
• DOT Approval: Yes, DOT Approved
• Ideal Application: Primarily for cart owners who drive on roadways, golf courses, footpaths, walking paths, and well-maintained dirt and gravel paths. Acceptable for use on lawns and light off-road use as well.

Want more in-depth analysis on street tread? Check out our post on the benefits and options of golf cart street tires.

Closing Remarks

In reviewing the above tires, a few things become clear. 

First, the tread depth and tread width stay relatively close to each other without any tire drastically changing compared to the others. The widest tread is the Forerunner at 8.1mm and the deepest tread goes to the Wanda Turf at 7.6mm.

Still, even with those measurements, these tread widths and depths aren't drastically removed from the other reviewed tires. What does this mean for you?

Although the tread width and depth can be helpful information, they probably aren't big enough factors to use as your basis for determining what golf cart tires to buy.

You could say something similar about Ply Rating and Tire Max Load. The Ply Ratings on the reviewed tires are all 4 Ply, and having reviewed most of our other inventory, this is common for just about all street/turf tires.

This four-ply rating gives enough strength to the tire but maintains enough cushion for a smooth and comfortable ride. When you get into all-terrain or off-road golf cart tires, you see Ply ratings in the six range.

Perhaps the most significant factor you should take into consideration is tread style.

Tread style will significantly affect how your golf cart feels and how well your golf cart performs on various terrains.

Driving down the street with aggressive tread can make riding on your cart rough and loud. Conversely, going off-road with street tires won't give your cart the proper grip it needs to perform well.

With all these tires designed to be used on street and turf, they bear very similar patterns and styles- the Wanda turf and the Arisun X-sport being the most unique. So think carefully about where you drive your cart most often and what you want your cart to do for you. 

Well, everyone, we hope this comparison has been helpful and allows you to think more clearly about your golf cart tire needs and how you can best outfit your cart.

Want more? Check out our next post in this 3-part series: Off-Road Golf Cart Tire Comparison

If you think we missed anything or if you have any questions, drop them in the comments below, and we would be glad to help!

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