TRANSMISSION

A MULTI-RATIO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (10) FOR A VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION HAVING AT LEAST ONE PLANETARY GEAR SET (16), A PLURALITY OF FRICTION ELEMENTS (CL,, C2, C3, B1, B2) FOR COUPLING COMPONENTS OF THE PLANETARY GEAR SET (16) BETWEEN AN INPUT (22) AND AN OUTPUT (24) OF THE TRANSMISSION IN DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS SO AS TO ACHIEVE A PLURALITY OF DRIVE RATIOS, AND A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVELY ENGAGING/DISENGAGING THE FRICTION ELEMENTS (CL, C2, C3, B1, B2) IN DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS TO EFFECT SELECTION OF THE RATIOS, WHEREIN RATE OF ENGAGEMENT AND/OR DISENGAGEMENT OF ONE OR MORE OF THE FRICTION ELEMENTS (CI, C2, C3, B1, B2) IS CONTROLLED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OR EACH OF THE OTHER FRICTION ELEMENT(S). A MULTI-RADIO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (10) FOR A VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION HAVING A PLURALITY OF FORWARD RATIOS, WHEREIN SELECTION OF THE FORWARD RATIOS IS EFFECTED BY ENGAGING/DISENGAGING FRICTION ELEMENTS, SAID ENGAGEMENT/DISENGAGEMENT BEING ACTUATED BY WAY OF A CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING AT LEATS ONE SOLENOID OPERATED VALVE, WHEREIN THE SOLENOID OPERATED VALVE IS ISOLATED FROM EXPOSURE TO FLUID PRESSURE WHEN NOT BEING USED IN A GIVEN STATE OF THE TRANSMISSION. A MULTI-RADIO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (10) MODULE HAVING A FIRST PLANETARY GEAR SET (16), FRICTION ELEMENTS (CL, C2, C3, BI, B2) CONTROLLING THE GEAR SET TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF FORWARD RATIOS, AND SELECTIVELY EITHER: A FURTHER FRICTION ELEMENT FOR CONTROLLING THE GEAR SET TO PROVIDE 4 FORWARD RATIOS; OR A FURTHER PLANETARY GEAR SET (16) IN SERIES WITH THE FIRST PLANETARY GEAR SET (16) AND DOWNSTREAM THEREOF IN THE DIRECTION OF POWER TRANSMISSION FROM INPUT (22) TO OUTPUT (24), AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SECOND PLANETARY GEAR SET (16) TO ACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FIRST PLANETARY GEAR SET (16) TO PROVIDE AT LEAST 5 FORWARD RATIOS.