Going fast doesnt mean you gonna blow everyone away, you have to have skill. Most rtr's come with a motor that is faster than stock, Traxxas has the 12t titan and velenion setups, ae has 17t and 3300kv setups etc.,perhaps to keep kids' attention. Kids dont wanna go slow, and parents don't want to spend $250 and have them bored after a week. I would say if you are beating the pp in the class you are in, you will then be bumped up. But until then, until you gain driving skill, it shouldnt be a big deal. Good luck to ya The motor will be faster than a 17.5, to address your question. Yes there are better motor/esc combos, but until you can outperform what you have it wont matter. Your only as good as you can drive, not the speed of your car.