1) that CR test is almost 20 years old.
2) they tested synthetic oil in an taxi cabs that hardly ever shut off and are run continuously in mild weather (not 100*F above or 40* below).
Of course it will perform about the same as regular oil.
Try repeating that test at -40* with several cold starts and see what happens.
That test was useless at determining if synthetic is any better in any vehicle but a NYC taxi - in which it wasn't, and I'd agree.
From the article:
"Big-city cabs don't see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service - stop-and-go city driving."
I'll stand by my suggestion that if you want extra insurance against heat related break down while towing, use a quality synthetic oil.
