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I mean could Bruce replicate Honda's 0W-20 with it's 200+ VI (don't think so) and definitely not at the price level Honda is charging even if he could.
I dunno. Given the latitude of 4+ cSt more to work with, who knows?
He won't be slammed against the floor due to so low a ceiling. If you catch my drift ..but you could be right. I think his producer costs won't be trumped retail, but bringing it to market ..then, yeah, sure, Honda will probably have it available for quart cash&carry and probably $12-$15 retail. I doubt it will be a $6/quart oil. Bruce's producer costs (not adjusted for intermediate inflation) were $5/quart+/-.
That said, Bruce's formula would not meet SM/SN. It's an SL formula ..but there's always that window of shrewd and cunning weaseling opportunity in the exploitation of that perceived need for "something extra" in there.
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I didn't get the impression from the Honda chemist that they were going to market a 0W-10 any time soon despite the fact it's the factory fill on a couple cars.
All in due time. I'm surprised Ford hasn't beaten them to this punch. Honda is a natural for this, but Ford really started a market revolution with going lighter. I'm enjoying this game of "bottom this". There isn't much more to shave on viscosity, but as you pointed out, there's advancements in VI to be achieved. We'll eventually see (hopefully) VI's of 250-300+ that would extend the benefits of thinner oils earlier in the typical driving event.