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Observations on what its like going from SSTT to stock.
Initially, I was rather suprised how nice the car was to drive after removing my SSTT yesterday. I have a stop at the bottom of a hill pulling out of my development and for whatever reason the car pulls away smoother. The SSTT causes throttle response to be more aggressive than I'd sometimes like, resulting in a little more jerkiness in slower traffic. Unfortunatly without the SSTT I find myself very much less likely to hold 3rd gear around street corners as there is perceptibly less torque available below 2500rpm. And that 2nd gear shift is always a pain.
Jumping onto the interstate highway for a quick bit of high speed driving I really felt the difference in power though the powerful N54 engine still wafts me to 80mph effortlessly. What is missing is the manic impulse to shove my foot through the floor and head for 100mph. When I first installed the SSTT I commented it feels like driving in a lower gear. Acceleration and throttle are more responsive with the SSTT and the roar of my stock exhaust is a bit more exciting with the higher boost.
Verses stock, the SSTT always rewards me with unrelenting pressure against my back as the car surges through the middle of the torque band. Minus the SSTT, the car finds its way to illegal speeds almost as readily, but its much less a sensory experience as the speed limit creeps up on you. There is just a less adrenaline.
Without the SSTT, the 135i once again becomes a very civilized, fairly soft GT car, not the muscle car I enjoyed for 40 weeks. Time to install the JB3.
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