Re: Oils? an FYI article link
The issue with these oil debates is that it's extremely time consuming and expensive to do exhaustive, meaningful testing.
Yes, it's true that "Insert Brand Name Here" doesn't have their own refinery, but that doesn't mean that they don't have a staff of engineers (or whatever you wish to call them) that specify the oil need. While it may be true that brand X oil is essentially simlar to Brand Y and Brand Z, there may or may not be subtle differences. Anecdotal experience of one person using el cheepo, or top shelf oil doesn't really mean all that much since it's so rare that "bad" oil would cause sudden engine failure.
To be meaningful at all, you'd need to conduct tests on the various oils by running them in the same engines under the same conditions and then tearing down the engines and comparing them for wear and tear.
And still, how useful is that? If you disgard the engine before it wear out, does it really matter if it's worn a bit more than it may otherwise have been?
And over a decade of ownership, will paying 30% more or less for your oil make a noticible dent in your bank account? I doubt it.
It's a relativley small component of (for most of us, anyway) of the cost of owning that engine.
Another, equally unlikely scenario is to get all of the various people in a room and submit them to a lie detector test to get them to tell the truth about their oils. Are they essentially equal, or are they substantially or even subtly different? Is it engineering or marketing?
Business model is another angle. Wally World specializes in cheap prices, and is willing and able to take a smaller profit on a quart of oil than the local boat dealer. The oil is more expensive at the boat or mc or car dealer because that's what they either choose or need to charge to keep the lights on. Cost doesn't always equate directly to quality.
Clear as mud? Or in this case, clear as oil?
Thus the never ending debate........................
