Truth is-----every age and generation has had products that people swore by, and they did have good success with. My dad was a young guy in the early 1940's, and he was on a haul that originated in Los Angeles, picking up motor oil at Union 76 in San Francisco, (Oleum refinery) and returning. The oil was called "Royal Triton" for the cars and gas engines, the diesel version of this motor oil was named "T-5X". Both oils were colored a distinctive purple, and loyal buyers of the oil dubbed them "grapejuice". This oil was transported bulk in tankers, either truck and trailers, or sets of doubles.
The trucking company (E.W. Ruber Transportation) had several 400 series Hall Scott motors, 1092 cubic inches, and almost 300 horsepower, (when a Cummins was only 200 horsepower), the Hall Scotts burned butane for fuel, so were spark ignited. Ruber used T-5X in everything. Obviousely that oil would not hold a candle to a modern oil such as Delvac 1300, or Delo 400, or Rotella now-adays. But my dad's truck lost a head gasket at 165,000 miles, the Hall Scott people were there at the shop, and measured the cylinders. There was no measurable wear in that many miles, and those engines went on to last for years, pulling 80,000 lbs over the ("old Grapevine route") from Bakersfield every day back into L.A. The trucks made a round trip every 24 hours, and seldom if ever had engine break downs.
So oil changes, proper operation, using good sense, pays off a lot, and in most cases the oil will do it's job whether synthetic, dino, cheap, expensive or whatever. Many good mechanics and operators give oil all the credit for success, they need to pat themselves on the back a little, for doing their good part in making it all work out.
