Hello Auggie1020, Let me start out by saying you have a little time left on your current pump before the bearings seize up and burn out the motor. I am a pool professional of 10 + years in many different pool stores so I know what I am talking about. Now since you have a super 2 right now I would probably stick with Hayward a good variable speed of theirs is the eco star. That pump saves you up to $1200 bucks a year on your electric bill because of the different settings you can personally set to change the RPMs. The reason it is saving you the money is because the variable speed pump uses a number of magnets to rotate the shaft of the motor as opposed to the single speed motor that uses a series of bearings. The magnets in the variable speed pumps don't ever touch each other. The bearings in a single speed grind together which causes more strain for the motor to turn the shaft which in turn uses more electric. what you are hearing now is the bearings grinding together because they are rusted out due to the seal failing. The Eco star also has a built in internal fan that cool the motor whenever it is on which means its always pretty cool to the touch. If you notice if you try to touch your motor now after its been running or while its running you might burn your fingers. Most variable speed pumps are top of the line between the $800-1000 dollar area a new single spend motor is about $250-350 bucks. As far as running a single spend here in AZ we half to run our motors longer because of the dry heat but here a person would be paying about $130 bucks a month to run a single speed 8-10 hrs
A variable speed is about $30 bucks a month to run 8-10 hrs it is a huge money saver. So bottom line from experience a variable speed is the way to go saves you money and its a lot less hassle down the road in my experience.

Thanks Aaron. Very helpful. What I don't understand though is how can the variable speed pumps pump as much water when the are operating at such lower speeds. Wouldn't the amount of water moved equal the rpms?
I guess will scope out the replacement pump and buy it when this one goes, although it almost makes sense to just replace it as it would pay for itself in a year or 2.

The Rpms are adjustable to regulate the flow of water for certain things the higher RPMs would be used for water falls , pop up heads that kind of thing the lower rpms are used for just circulation. Even running a variable speed at higher rpms for 8-10 hrs its very low cost to run. The variable speed does pay for it self within a year or so of using it.

Definitely replace with a variable speed pump! it will save energy in doing so