#1. yes the 430L is said to be very underpowered. ok for hovering and such, but 3d? forget it. the best three motors for the buck are the www.justgofly.com 450F, 450TH, or 500TH. they all three kick butt on 3s (so ive heard).
#2. are you talking about the things that are basically right beside the blade grips? if so, i hear theyre not worth changing because they make the head stiff. if not, ill have to look in my manual and search around on the ezone
#3. going fast is no problem. thanks to a year on Realflight, i was doing piros on my SECOND (yes second) flight on my trex-my first ever full-control heli. (have a CX but hasnt flown in a few months. i have been outside in some wind, and doing FF and a little FFF in circuits.
#4. we seem to be in the same position because ive been sick of flying in Normal mode, and i really wanna dish out some 3D. but the carbon blades the sent scare me a little (theyll blow the head to bits in a crash) so i ordered some pro woodies to start trying some stuff. my ESC and tail servo just burnt out for no reason though, so i havent been able to fly in a week, and will be at least another, maybe 2. im really feeling that i can at least pull off a roll once i get to use idle ups. i say go for it if youre not scared. theres no reason to hold yourself back if you feel confident enough....but make sure youre not trying anything low at first.