I'm in Louisiana. I feel for ya.

Throughout all of this discussion, I don't think that you stated what it is that you are expecting from all of this. Are you looking for something stupid fast, or are you looking for something reasonably fast. It's all a trade off. Runtime, heat, and performance are always considerations.

You also have to remember that the batteries can heat up too. The more you strain them, the hotter they get.

I'm really having a hard time choosing between the 1700kv motor and the 1500kv motor. Really, going fast is fun for a while and it's nice to make your nitro friends eat dust, but it really doesn't matter most of the time. What matters most when I'm running is that everything is comfortable.

FYI, there's a interesting discussion in the brushless forum in a thread entitled "Quark fried, blown capacitor." I think that you may find it interesting. I know I did, as my first Quark is coming in on Wednesday. I'm supposed to have a 2.5d coming too, but I'm still undecided.