SMG or not.

Just filled my 5 speed manual with Redline ATF, as per the recommendation of the friendly fellow at Redline oils. Helped tremendously with cold shifting and dodgy synchros in 1st and 2nd.

-Russ.

Yes, it's been hijacked, and no, it shouldn't be that way. But it has been that way for 50 years, longer than any of us in this discussion have been driving (legally) I bet. 10 years ago, any spec sheet for any car said "automatic" to mean a slushbox. Still does, in fact, when it's a slushbox.

Funnily, the first auto (IIRC) in the UK was the GM Hydramatic fitted to Rolls Royce cars just after WW2, and used by them for the next 20 years or so, and it didn't have a torque convertor, but fluid flywheel. It was a four speed with rather peculiar ratios - the first three all pretty low with a big gap to top. M-B also made a similar design until changing to a torque convertor in the '70s. And of course some of the latest 6 and 7 speed autos make very little use of the TC - really just to cushion gear changes.

Hi Dave

Just interested in something you wrote, there - regarding fluid flywheel - what is that / how does it work?

Same for fluid clutches, really. I get how a torque converter works, but am not awful sure of these other variants.

Cheers