Originally Posted by waitwhat

And all of those tiny differences only mean something when there is a turn limit on the motor (spec racing). In mod, if the newest 8.5 is faster than your old 8.5 you can buy an old 6.5 and it will still be faster than the newest 8.5 because the power difference between a 6.5 and 8.5 is enough to overcome the tiny gains made between motor generations. Spec motor development drives the rest of the motor development, while the mod motors get the updates for continuity and ease of parts supply chain infrastructure.

Almost all sensored brushless motors have adjustable timing. Locked timing was something abandoned when stock racing switched from brushed to brushless. Locked timing motors are still used for some spec classes but ROAR rules allows adjustable motor timing on 17.5/13.5 classes.