I only have noticable loss of torque below 2000rpm. Seems there wasn't much to begin with anyway.
It's not like the car is un-drivable in the "lugging" zone it just takes a little more pedal to get the same response. This car never had any real power down low. Before this mod I think I had one of the highest 2.5L low end torque dynos (~169TQ) & I feel the loss from removing them (& tuning) is negligible at best.
The gains far outweigh any amount lost at such low rpms.
I used to drive with them pinned open because the car drove so much better. Better throttle response, better acceleration after a shift, and better high rpm stability for starters.
Yes I have driven it in rush hour traffic with the A/C on without any problems.
I also noticed that the addition of the DMD really made the bottom end feel much stronger & run smoother. The later I expected, but the former was a nice bonus.
