[Laguna Seca Blue]

I've noticed that at least 3 threads have been started recently with OP's wondering whether or not a SSK is a worthwhile upgrade. I picked up my 2009 335i a couple of months ago, and the only modification the car came with was the BMW Performance SSK. I had posted my initial impressions on someone else's thread, but now that I'm completely used to it, I thought it would be worthwhile to update you with my latest impressions.

In short, (no pun intended) it rocks. However, it does take a little while to get used to. At first, I was really confused by the design of the shift knob. It's very small and perfectly cylindrical, so for someone with large hands like me (I'm 6'3) it kept slipping out of my hand when I was trying to grab ahold of it and shift fast. The second thing that bothered me was that it felt very notchy, especially between 1-2 shifts. It literally felt like it took years to get between those two gears because there was a quite a lot of resistance. In fact, the only thing I liked about it was the satisfying clunk when it was in gear. There was never any question that I had missed the gear, or was only half-way in, which causes that horrible grinding sound which makes you cringe.

Anyway, I've now put around 2,000km on the car and I'm loving it. I've figured out that there is no need to grab the shifter under any circumstances. You literally just need a flip of the wrist with two fingers or the palm of your hand to get through all of the gears. The problem was that I was used to the longer shifter in my E46 M3 where you had to make much more deliberate movements and heave your entire arm from gear to gear. With the SSK all you need is your wrist.

I know there are a number of aftermarket options available and I haven't tried any of them. However, since the BMW Performance kit is effectively an OEM part and it works well, I don't think you can go wrong. Oh, and I almost forgot, the knob is weighted perfectly!

Hope that helps anyone looking to go for a SSK!