Originally Posted By: peterdes
If bleach passes the 4 ball wear test, and amsoil passes the 4 ball wear test, and If Bleach is a bad lubricate. Then there is nothing to say of amsoil. You cannot say it is a good or bad lubricate simply based on the test IF bleach passes and if bleach is a bad lubricate. All it means, is that they both pass the test.
The 4 ball wear test is one of many tests run against the oil. I agree that you can't conclude whether an oil is good or bad based on this test and nothing else, but I disagree that it makes it an irrelevant test.
Another analogy:
There are both criminals and upstanding members of our society who love and protect their children. Because a criminal is capable of loving and protecting his children, should we conclude that a persons ability as a parent is irrelevant when asking whether or not they are a good person?
I would counter that a bad person can be a good parent, but that an abusive parent cannot be a good person. We may also argue that while being a good parent is not absolute proof that someone is a good person, it would tend to indicate that they are.
Let's assume that the 4 ball test is a valid test. If we assume it's a valid test, and we assume that bleach can pass the test we can easily conclude that:
Passing the 4 ball wear test is an indicator that an oil is good, but not an absolute proof. Failing the 4 ball wear test is an indicator (or proof) that an oil is bad.
Furthermore, I could easily turn the argument around...
If bleach can pass the 4 ball wear test, an oil that fails the test must be absolute [censored]. That assertion is no more or less valid than the assertion you make.
Again, my argument does not prove that it's a valid test, it just discredits an assertion that it is not a good test. Of course, I'm just arguing rhetoric for the [censored] of it. This whole post will be irrelevant the moment we see some facts.
One further point: I own and ride motorcycles, including a Suzuki GSX-R 600. In this motorcycle, engine oil (10w-40) is used to lubricate the transmission. The oil's performance as a gear lubricant is absolutely critical in this application.