Ok - for about the one zillionth time, there is no "BEST" oil for all applications for all people. You have to analyze your operational patterns, your maintenance plans, and choose accordingly. Then, if you want confirmation that you've made a good choice, successive UOAs.
The loss of ZDDP and other items when moving to CJ-4 fluids is a reality, but it's the mis-interpretation of that reality that sends most folks scurrying. Just because some characteristics (ZDDP, etc) were reduced with CJ-4, why do most people automatically suspect an inferior product? Do you not think that other characteristics (other additives and base stocks) were manipulated to compensate for the changes? For one thing, the CJ-4 fluids were designed with a great many detergents and anti-agglomerates to help with the ever-increasing use of EGR. That part of the CJ-4 add package far surpasses the older versions; yet people only focus of the loss of zinc, and forget to credit CJ-4 fluids with their strengths.
Overall, the major manufacturers (Shell, Mobil, Valvoline, Castrol) have a collective total of millions of miles of testing and real-world-use data to show that, when using ULSD as a fuel, the new CJ-4 fluids outperform their predecessors. It's NOT a conspiracy; it's facts, data, and engineering.
Outputs (UOA results) speak volumes more than inputs (VOAs and PDFs). Let's step away from the oil topic, and look at the input/output factor from a different perspective. Consider a football game. Knowing the starting line-ups for each team is a good thing, and you might be able to predict who is going to win. But if you could jump ahead into the future to make a bet, would you rather know the roster, or the end score? Would you rather know the inputs, or the results? Most people can see, from this perspective, that outputs are more inportant than inputs. Getting back to oil; a UOA is much more telling than a VOA.
With that in mind, look at many of the recent UOAs for the new CJ-4 dino HDEO fluids. The performance is outstanding. Whatever it is that people think is detrimental from the move to CJ-4 is NOT manifesting itself in the real world. The new CJ-4 fluids are turning in stellar UOAs. On top of that, with the recent (ongoing) bargins in Rotella and Delvac, the dino HDEO costs are excellent. I personally recently ran Rotella 10w-30 dino in heavy use for 6k miles, and the UOA was outstanding. Many Delvac 1300 UOAs have shown super results. All in CJ-4.
Banana, you've got a 2007, right? You have DPF? Your truck's stock? You need to run a CJ-4 fluid, for the health of the exhaust system and to control soot.
All that being said, certainly anyone should use what they deem most appropriate; that's common sense. But being in SoCal, it's not like extreme temps are an issue for the OP. So only the OCI duration should play into this decision. Can he/she handle really long OCIs? If so, go with synthetics and bypass; that is their forte'. But if you can't keep your hands off the wrenches, then find a quality dino HDEO and use it for 7.5k miles (perhaps more, UOA dependent).
There is no best oil for everything. There are "better" selections for given operating and maintenance plans. You must choose accordingly, after you define your scenario.
