When running your SC10, you must be aware of motor temperature. Motors are expensive and if you let one get too hot, you may end up having to replace it. For many of you motor temp will not be a problem, but you should know that different track conditions or changes to your set up could cause your motor to get hotter than normal.
So how hot is too hot? Anything over 200 degrees is risking serious damage to your motor. If you have access to a temperature gun, use it when you first set up your vehicle to guage how hot your motor gets. Ideally you want your motor to be no hotter than 160 - 180 degrees. If you don't have the fancy technology (most of us don't), then you have to use the touch test. After running your SC10 for 10-15 minutes, touch the motor can and see if you can hold your finger for 3 seconds. If the can is too hot to touch for longer than a second or two, then you may have motor temp issues.
The surface that your SC10 is running on can also affect motor temp. If you are on a high traction track (or your track is a little wet) then your motor will be working extra hard and it will get hotter than normal. Also, anytime you are running your SC10 full throttle, like in the street, or on a track with long straight-aways, you need to check motor temps during your run. The main thing here is to always use caution. Once you get to know your SC10 and motor, then you will be able to anticipate when motor temps could be an problem.
If you are having problems with motor temp in normal conditions, there are a few things you can do to control your temps and help the motor cool down faster.
1. Go with a smaller pinion. I run a 4600kV brushless motor on my SC10 and I need to run a 16t-18t to keep motor temp under control. Thankfully my local track doesn't require the top speed that a higher pinion could offer. I would bet that most of you could use a little more torque and less top speed, so try gearing down to keep your motor cooler and maybe improve your lap times.
2. Get the Factory Team Milled Motor Plate - The stock motor plate sits flush against your motor can, acting as a heat insulator. The milled plate has grooves in it that keep less contact between the motor and motor plate. This allows for more air-flow to the motor.
3. Get a Heatsink for your motor (shown in the picture) - The heat sink helps to dissipate heat from the motor and will help your motor cool down faster between runs. Integy makes a 5-Fin Heatsink that fits the SC10 motor without any modifications.
Burned out your motor? Read our post about great brushless motor setups here - SC10 Brushless Motor Setups