A couple of Sundays ago, I drove my friend's M Roadster in an auto-x. Wow, what a difference in feel! Rear wheel drive, immediate torquey power all on race tires with great grip (at least when they are warm ) His roadster is a '98 with 240hp- it feels pretty powerful. I have to say it made me realize just how much I need to mod my TT (well, beyond the springs/shocks). I have to say that the stock throttle response is pretty bad, it's like they wanted to damp it out and make it smooth. It's not all turbo lag I think- you can hit the accelerator in and out and you barely feel it jerk forward. The hesitation between pedal movement and actual results also goes for getting off the gas- it almost feels like the car wants to keep accelerating (I wonder if a DV would change this any...)
And the brakes- compared to the Roadster the thing doesn't stop. (That will change though now since I have da big brakes) I have to admit that it was much more fun driving my friends car at the auto-x than mine- I felt much more involved -there was much more I could modulate. These are all things that you don't notice so much when you are driving (even somewhat enthusiastically) on the street. The Roadster felt sharp- my TT felt like a blunt implement in comparison.
Don't get me wrong I still love my car but I just need to keep modding :-)...I know a chip will sharpen up the throttle and that will be a big change (I know I'll probably be wondering why I didn't do it sooner...)...I also need a rear sway bar as well for sure because it still really pushes in the corners.

 

once you do it, you'll kick the crap out of his. you could add an R32 rear swaybar and it'll look stock but be 19mm like the aftermarket. a chip will REALLY, REALLY improve throttle response. of course power too. lastly, is the link i made. this will radically improve your power on delivery!!!!!!!!!<ul><li><a href="http://www.eiptuning.com/eip/haldex_popup.html">http://www.eiptuning.com/eip/haldex_popup.html</a</li></ul>

 

both on an off. Did a search on this. Lots of discussion by people who understand the topic on how drive by wire works and on effects of drive by wire on throttle responsiveness/reaction to pedal modulations.

I think you're right. Get the firmer antisway bar in back. Also, set front shocks slightly softer and rear shocks slightly firmer, all contribute to getting the car to rotate easier. Then a subtle shift in technique gets the quattro to do things the M-cars can't. Get the car rotated and you can get on the gas harder and sooner than the rwd guy. Then hard hard on the gas, quattro gets all 4 pulling, car settles, car feels amazingly stable at this point. That's our advantage. But, the M-cars do have more torque earlier. Me chipped, say an E36 M3 pulls on me early then I pull on it late, see this happen over &amp; over on 2nd gear and slower 3rd gear turns. The faster the turn, the more the advantage goes to the TT.

 

about 1-4 seconds better than stock TT's, 180 or 225, and depending upon autox track. I generally always do better than BMW roadsters.

I've got coilovers, chip, exhaust, big brakes, and CAI. These are all the essentials for go fast, turn quick, and stop quickly. Tires do make a huge difference too.

Cars running R compound tires are always faster too.

 

If I wanted to go real fast and didnt care about style, I would just buy a new Corvette and be done with it. But Quality and Style as well as a car with a soul means more to me than HP.

 

have you or anyone that you know of done this? In any case, thanks for the link.

 

Since a good number of older HAldex controllers will fail, this is the ONLY way to go-especially since it's much cheaper than OEM replacement.
FWIW I can get my TT to do doughnuts as is-but the 3rd party review in their site is the BEST I've seen!

 

not knocking the TT. He liked the drive he had in the M roadster. No need to get snide, guy

 

It all depends on car and driver. I would say the reason his car feels so much better than yours is mostly R-compounds. Instant torque is nice, but if you chip, you'll get your power. There are def differences in driving styles for the two cars. Just different that's all. Loads of fun either way. I think that the TT is easier to drive close to the limit. The M-Roadster has a nasty habit of coming around on you when feeding power But if driven well, can be very very fast. Bottom line, there's always something better. None of them look as good as a TT.

Oh, and I'm all over that Haldex unit come springtime/auto-x season

 

other reviews i've read are SO good though. nicer turn in, quicker feel, fun donuts........those kinds of remarks