My bad, those recommendations are to keep the esc cool, not the motor. I've had pretty much the opposite problems. My motor temps have usually been ok, but my esc would heat up like nobody's business. I don't think my motor has ever been over 160 that I'm aware of. The esc has been in the 240s once and slightly in the 200s a couple of other times, never once did it "thermal" on me though. My guess is you got one in 5,000 motors that heat up really bad. The vxl should be much cooler.

BTW, is this an xl-5 rustler? If so, are you still using the bushings in the wheels? If so, you will NEED the 5X11 bearings, not the 5X8s. If you do have bearings, make sure they are all free and smooth.