Hey guys, I got a real kick out of this. From the original owner's manual i found in the glovebox of my 71 Cutlass Supreme. I didn't even notice, until I read this, that I have Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, "Super", and Low:

"Super range: Used when super performance is needed for increased acceleration.....Super should not be used at speeds ABOVE 75 mph."
Seriously? I can take 2nd gear up to 75 mph?! What's in my rear end? Something like a 1.5? (seriously, I think I have 2.56 gears).

Anyway, this gave me a chuckle.

 

Wow. That's a SUPER story.

Can you tell it again?

 

LOL, super = second.

 

Yea, Super Range. I all ways like the sound of that. It should come with a cape, or at least a rear spoiler and pipes that come out of a cut-out bumper.

It goes hand to hand, like a car with no name, just numbers. = 442

I'm glad Oldsmobile chose that nomenclature instead of just silly old second gear.

 

Lol, definitely like the cape idea. Maybe instead of the vinyl top?

 

Yes, with 2:56 gears, you can easily run 75 in Super.
I did so accidentally coming home from our Christmas light cruise last year. Hit S instead of D...
I was on the highway doing 70 and I was wondering where the extra power came from. There was a slight amount of extra noise but I thought it was wind.
I realized it when i got home when i went to shift to N.
Not good for gas mileage but it did get the cobwebs out of the air cleaner.

 

Yup I've shifted the dual gate into D at 110 before. This is with a 455, TH400, G70X14's and 3.08:1 rear gears.

 

That "Super" range goes all the way back to 1952 Dual-Range HydraMatic (you do remember that Oldsmobile had a big part in developing that thing, right? and were justifiably proud of it).

Olds and Pontiac used the S designation for intermediate range thru almost all iterations of their HydraMatic usage. (P) N DSL R on the four-speed HMT and Rotos, PRNDSL on Turbo HydraMatics thru late 70s.

Cadillac elected to use P N DRIVE L R and P R N DRIVE L on theirs, and Buick and Chevrolet used that silly P R N D L2 L1 mess on their THMs, except for the 1964 Buick & Cadillac units which, although they were three-speed units, had only D and L same as the Triple Turbine DynaFlow from which it was descended.

I'd like to think that when Olds and Pontiac were more or less forced to adapt to Turbo HydraMatic in 1965, their previous use of a separate second or intermediate range influenced HydraMatic Division to incorporate it. Probably heard a lot of flak from Cadillac owners used to a separate intermediate range too.

Also telling that Buick internal designation for THM 400 was "Super Turbine 400". Maybe Buick finally got it after all those years of DynaFlows with only one range- the transmission that never shifted.

Strange that HydraMatic was good enough for Cadillac and Rolls-Royce, but not good enough for Buick? Puh-leeze!

 

My other old car, with a TH350, will, if you bury it at 50, drop into second (or super, or L2) and go screaming hell bent for leather. WOT shift to high gear right before the 4500 redline at 90mph with 2.73s. I figure, assuming the car is working right, where it shifts automatically under WOT is as high as you should take the gear.

This also is about where I let off when I'm cleaning out the secondaries. The car has seen 100, but it's been a few years.

 

I ran through the traps running a 13.89 @ 97 mph in second gear (TH400)

455 with a 2.56 posi.

 

Did it downshift when you did that?, I understood that TH boxes wouldn't downshift if it was running too fast to avoid overspeeding the transmission.
I'm not arguing with you, just want to learn if I'm wrong (again).

Anyone ever come across the AP transmission as used in the Austin America?. It had a RND4321 pattern (no park), no matter what speed you were doing if you shifted it from D to any other gear it would select it and stay in it, you could start off in 4th speed if you wanted to.
If you got it right you could shift into 2 from D at 70mph and blow up the engine and transmission at the same time as they tore from their mountings.

Roger.

 

That Austin shift pattern reminds me of what GMC and Chevrolet pickups with HydraMatic used- N 1-4 1-3 1-2 R or some later ones had N DR4 DR3 Lo R. As an example if you put it in 1-4 it would shift thru all four speeds, if you had it in 1-2 it would not go past second speed. Roughly translating to what the car HMT's did in D and L.

Ford automatics for years had what they called "second hold". You put in it 2 (or white Drive dot on Cruise-O-Matic), it would start in second and stay in second. Not sure if the governor would upshift it to 3rd at certain speed or not, as HydraMatics will do.

BTW Roger it does that to avoid overspeeding the engine, though I can see not wanting to overspeed the transmission at super high RPM either.

 

Pontiac used the S on some of their cars, others used Dr4, Dr3.

1964 Buick and Cadillac were single range 3 speeds. They could not have been ascended from the "triple" turbine Dynaflow, as it had NO Lo gear, having a Grade retard position instead. The TWIN turbine Dynaflow is probably what you were thinking of.

Another thing about Dual Range and Dual Coupling hydramatics, the S or Dr3 position would not shift above 3rd, UNLESS the TV and Governor pressures maxed out. Then it would shift to 4th. The same goes for Lo range, usually staying in 2nd, UNLESS the TV and Governor pressures maxed out. Instead of shifting to 3rd, it would go right to 4th.

As far as Roto and Turbo hydramatics, well don't know if that happens. I do know that my 4L60E would upshift to 2nd when starting in 1 position and maxing out RPMS.

 

13.89 with 2.56 gears? I'm no expert but that seems impressive.