RE: Mechanical VS Electronic SC
When I switched over to an ESC in my 99' Stampede, I don't recall noticing any less torque than with the stock MSC. That was long ago and I haven't dealt with a MSC in 10 years lol. I think with an ESC there may be a slightly longer delay in forward motion than with a MSC, maybe that's what you're noticing...
The MSC may also seem to have more torque because it puts out power in stages rather than progressively, therefore when you jump up to the next "stage" on the MSC it kicks in a burst of power rather than progressively increasing to it like an ESC would do.