So many questions. Here goes...
Regarding oils in the Middle East, Latin America, Asia & Africa, the quality of the oil, in my view, is surprisingly good. If you exclude oddities like Iran, most countries have been at API SL with a splash of ACEA for a long time now. Typically these places use 15W40 & 20W50 Group I oils which I personally think isn't a bad thing. Group II is also making inroads there too. The primary role of the oil there is still to lubricate the engine and it hasn't been subordinated to the goals of ever better fuel economy (at any price) or the needs of the exhaust after-treatment (again at any price).
I too always thought M1 was PAO. I once had to break bread with the M1 Mafia (horrible, repellent people) and all they banged on about all night was PAO. Yeah, I get the VISOM thing. It was a truly superb Group III but didn't the plant explode???
Yes, the Euro Noack spec is 13% max. with some OEMs going a bit lower. However this gives a bit misleading picture. 20W50s and 15W40 will always be way way lower that 13% just because they are heavier grades. Likewise semi-synthetic 10W40s (still v big over here) tend to be significantly lower than 13% because of certain critical tests in the A3/B4 sequences. 10W30 you can find it you look for it (particularly for motorcycle) but it's not common. This is partly because getting 3.5 HTHS on a 10W30 can be tricky. And then you hit 5W30 territory and Euro 5W30s have traditionally been full Group III oils so again are well below the 13% limit.
To the person in Malaysia who didn't like dino 20W50, I'm surprised you have problem cranking. I lived in Singapore for three years and all I remember was it was forever HOT! You could easily switch to a 15W40 if its an issue for you. And yes, if you use Group Is, you do need to swap the oil out more regularly than synthetics but be aware that these oils still have to go through the same basic test sequences as synthetics so the dino oil still has to pass the Sequence VG sludge test. I suspect your concerns over sludge are misplaced.
Regarding oils in the Middle East, Latin America, Asia & Africa, the quality of the oil, in my view, is surprisingly good. If you exclude oddities like Iran, most countries have been at API SL with a splash of ACEA for a long time now. Typically these places use 15W40 & 20W50 Group I oils which I personally think isn't a bad thing. Group II is also making inroads there too. The primary role of the oil there is still to lubricate the engine and it hasn't been subordinated to the goals of ever better fuel economy (at any price) or the needs of the exhaust after-treatment (again at any price).
I too always thought M1 was PAO. I once had to break bread with the M1 Mafia (horrible, repellent people) and all they banged on about all night was PAO. Yeah, I get the VISOM thing. It was a truly superb Group III but didn't the plant explode???
Yes, the Euro Noack spec is 13% max. with some OEMs going a bit lower. However this gives a bit misleading picture. 20W50s and 15W40 will always be way way lower that 13% just because they are heavier grades. Likewise semi-synthetic 10W40s (still v big over here) tend to be significantly lower than 13% because of certain critical tests in the A3/B4 sequences. 10W30 you can find it you look for it (particularly for motorcycle) but it's not common. This is partly because getting 3.5 HTHS on a 10W30 can be tricky. And then you hit 5W30 territory and Euro 5W30s have traditionally been full Group III oils so again are well below the 13% limit.
To the person in Malaysia who didn't like dino 20W50, I'm surprised you have problem cranking. I lived in Singapore for three years and all I remember was it was forever HOT! You could easily switch to a 15W40 if its an issue for you. And yes, if you use Group Is, you do need to swap the oil out more regularly than synthetics but be aware that these oils still have to go through the same basic test sequences as synthetics so the dino oil still has to pass the Sequence VG sludge test. I suspect your concerns over sludge are misplaced.