Thanks for the replies. You are correct in assuming the wires and the windings are one and the same. We have had a few people shorten the wires on their motors and solder direct to the ESC. This is a very spec class, btw. I suspected that the extra length of winding, even outside the can, would have a different effect than an equal length of power wire.

We're not seeing any big differences in performance, that I'm aware of, but I suppose a dyno test is in order.