Royal Purple, and my opinion...
JohnE,
Well, so far I'd say that I'm happy with the Royal Purple 10W-30. I noticed an immediate "smoothness" to the engine after switching over from dino oil, and maybe a slight increase in fuel mileage. I only made the switch about the end the summer, so I've not had any oil changes yet. I wasn't planning on switching for the winter either, I just don't have that kind of money laying around to switch back and forth. That was the reason I went with the 10W-30, it's in between the 5W-30 that some guys run in the winter and then switch back to 15W-40 for summer. My goal was to put oil in that I could run all the time and not stretch the limits of it's capabilities. I don't run my truck hard, I don't tow, and I don't have it loaded up with stuff in the bed. I run empty and within the 55-65 mph range on my 100-mile daily commute.
I also installed the Amsoil Bypass at the same time that I switched to Royal Purple, and I've been pleased with it too. However, if I was going to do things all over again, I'd probably have done the Bypass first and waited awhile before switching over to synthetic, and here's the reason why.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to run 9100 miles on Delvac 15W-40 and the same filter before I could switch over. Before I made the switch though, I had an oil analysis done so I could see how things were going inside. I bought this truck earlier this year, and this was the first oil change that I knew what oil was in the truck and how many miles were on it, etc. So I get the results back from the lab, and they say that everything is fine and I can continue running the oil. However, I'd already drained it and switched to Royal Purple before I got the results back. After seeing the analysis results, I think I could have stayed with dino oil and only had to do a few oil changes a year instead of having the extra expense of the synthetic oil. But, it's done and I'm not going to change back, so there you are. I'll be getting another sample analyzed here in about two months, so we'll see how the Royal Purple and the Oil Bypass system work for me. If I can go 9100 miles on regular oil and a single filter, then I should be able to go MUCH longer on synthetic and a dual stage filter.
As for the explanation of the plate, I think it makes sense to me know. I'm convinced that I want to save up and get a plate designed for this rather than slide the stock plate forward and wonder about the EGT. I don't have gauges yet, so I don't need any more worries than I have...
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
