Thanks for all the ideas and opinions. Glad to have some input from all around.
Not to sound ungrateful for your ideas, and I do like the analogy to the beans, but the beans were not beans 1 million years ago --but the oil was oil a million years ago.
Now how about thinking about this critically:
my 90 year old father (1942 graduate of Automotive trade school) said
"... it was in the earth for millions of years, what the heck is 40 years in a can compared to that? ..."
On the surface he is right...
The base oil came from the earth and is XX million years old. So if Pennzoil et al takes some of it and puts some additives into it, then its great for your engine. But if you leave the additives out it is poison to the same engine.
As a chemist, I understand the value of just a few ppb and I fully understand the chemistry and dilution principles involved.
But as a consumer I know that no matter what I do, even if we all use the best oil we can buy, many of our cars will meeet their demise (stolen,wrecked, flood, fire,etc) long before the engines wear out.
Anyhow, being monetarily challenged right now, I thought I would use the oil a bit with each oil change thereby saving the $5.00 or so that oil costs per quart.
I cannot beleive that the balance of the detergents (and the other additives in oil) are so precisely measured that a small (~ 20 % w/v) difference would make itself known.
I guess what I'm saying is if Mobil 1 and Castrol Edge, Royal Purple, Pennzoil Ultra all are within 20% on every additive then I would be really surprised.
When I get a minute I will look uop the assay results so I'm speaking on fact but if they dont differentiate themselves in at least one area then thay are not trying to compete.
Sincere Thanks to all again,
I hope you dont look at my post as argumentattive, just trying to stir some converstaion.