Time to replace the strut?

[jetnfast]

My traxxas Spartan strut has some play with the installed wholt .187 flex shaft. I have been running this setup flawlessly for around 40 runs. Today, I measured the stock strut bushing diameter with the calipers and it was 5.5mm, which is 0.5mm worth of play. What is a good rule of thumb on when to replace the stock strut or any bushing strut for that matter? As a precaution I ordered a new strut, deciding on the 5727x ball bearing strut from traxxas to replace the stock one. My motor temps seem to have gone up recently, so maybe this is a contributor with excess vib or stress on the driveline, thoughts?

[ozzie-crawl]

I don't like the teflon bushing but others seem to like them. I usually drill the bushings out. Loctite in a piece of 1/4 brass tube then run a floating brass bush.
These last a very long time.