Jar Head,
Please, take it easy.
For one, I am not an Amsoil "freak" like you seem to assume. There is not one Amsoil product in my truck at the moment, but I will be changing to the Universla Amsoil ATF soon.
Currently I am running the Delo 15w40, because for the money I don't believe there is a better oil out there. I agree with your statement, "Anyone who uses Delo 400 15w40 year-round and changes the oil and filter every 3-7 thousand miles will have an engine that will NEVER have an oil related problem. " I am currently changing at 3500 mile oil change intevals, which is way too soon. My oil analysis come back excellent.
You may choose not to leave the house in temps of -20, but there are some members who encounter this weather occasionally, and have to leave the house or work. Here in MI the only time I have been in this cold of weather was in the upper peninsula on snowmobiling trips. At the time I didn't have my Cummins, but I did have to start the truck in -20 below temps.
You are right in saying, "You can not compare pour points to viscocity. " but the question asked was comparing a 5w oil with a pour point of -22f and a 15w oil with a pour point of -38f. At -22 below the 5w "synthetic" Rotella will be thicker than honey and will not flow without some heated persuasion. The Delo 15w40 will definitly be very thick, but it will still flow.
You obvioulsy don't feel pour points are a revelant number when determining the quality of an oil, and it may not be an issue where you live now, but to some of us it is defilitely an important number. For instance, if someone in the a extreamly cold climate (Northern Minnesota, Northern Michigan, Canada, Alaska, ect... ) chooses to run Rotella T 15w40 in the winter, he would be making a bad choice. The pour point of the oil is -13f. This stuff will not work for them. Here in southeren MI I can remember having to start the truck one morning after work in -3f, and unfortualtely it was not plugged in. I am very happy I had the Delo 15w40 in there instead of the Rotella T. FTR - I think the Rotella T is a good oil also, but just not an optimal choice in colder climates.
You brought up the issue of, "Synthetic vs. REAL synthetic" Again this may not be very important to you or some others on this board, but it is an important point to some. The original poster of this thread was aware of this, and I assume it is an important issue to him as he included it in his post.
Group III oils are only classied as synthetic because the courts ruled this so. Do you agree with every single ruling the courts have made?
To some consumers I'm sure the idea of whether the oil is a true syn or not is important. Why pay $21. 00/gallon for a Group III synthetic oil, when other full synthetic oils can be bought for less than that.
Are the true synthetic oils that much better. That has been debated countless times here on the TDR so I will leave that topic alone.
As I said I don't run Amsoil or any other Group IV/V full synthetic oil. I, like you, feel that at 400,000 miles I will either, not have the truck, or the rest of the truck will be junk from the salty winters here in MI. I personally cannot justify the $20/gallon cost of the full synthetics, and I don't care about exended drains so, for me, that is not a selling point of the Amsoil's, ect...
I have decided to try the Delo 5w40, at least for winter, and I may continue to use it year round. I wanted a oil that would provide better protection upon cold startup when I am unable to plug the truck in. I think the Delo 5w40 will do this, at a lower cost than the Group IV/V synthetics. And should I choose to switch back to the Delo 15w40 during the warmer months, there will be a reduced chance of an additive clash from switching brands of oil.
Please keep in mind that you, or I, do not represent all consumers as a whole. What is important to us, is/may not be important to others. In my post I try (and maybe sometimes I don't do a very good job) to state the factual information, as I think they are important to know to make an informed decision, and then express my opinions. That why the TDR is so great. A question can be answered using the facts, and then we all can chime in our experiences and personal opinions. We are all left to ultimately decide for ourselves, as it is our truck and our money.
I would also like to wish you and your family a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Have a nice day,
Ryan