Looks good!
Before you totally write off the CTs I would cut them.
Dremel the lugs and cut the little nub off the center lugs on both sides. The other side is on my to do list.
Mine absolutely do not hold me back on my granite compared to Predator Hyraxes and Landmines. And this is still stock rims and foams, glued on.
I had the HR metal 45t spur and 9t pinion. That’s a loud combo. Switching back to stock traxxas 45t spur quieted the gear whine quite a bit. Although between the Mamba X/PP and the SVH500v3 servo, it’s loud anyways.
Have you noticed an improvement using the Losi mini T spring setup? I am curious about that.
Keep it up!