I've been in this space a loooonnng time...if you are poo pooing the study...then I'd check the source of the chart that you keep pulling out on liner wear...I've got that paper too somewhere...and it's not "fresh" by any means...are you following it's advice, and using SAE 30 exclusively rather than those not very good multigrades ?
BTW, not sure how many engines thtat you have seen in side, but there' a whole lot more than a piston, rings, and a liner.
For exampole, additional components in an engine include, but aren't limited to...bearings, both rotating and reciprocating, cams, and follower contact surfaces...lost of parts that I'm sure you can research, and form conclusions on, and form a much more complicated life equation than the handful of components that you are fixated on.
For example, in camshaft wear (which is also part of the wear process for any engine that has similar components), the specific (look up Sequence IVA...it's a "fresh" test that all engine oils have to pass...is specifically in the space that I've explained, as the lube thins out, and before the additives kick in