There should be little doubt that synthetic oil performs better than conventional, don't lose that in your comments. As you point out, that is a moot point because conventional oil works so well (if used properly, having enough oil is FAR more important than brand or type) that the lifespan of these engines is practically infinite. Making it 3x infinite is not really worthwhile considering that you can save enough using the cheaper oils that you can buy a new engine off the savings well before the old one wore out.

Mark