Btw I reread your statement and you said "Better expensive oil far exceeds that requirement."
Do you have any facts or studies done on this?

My understanding is aligned with below article. The difference is not huge as you stated.

I guess there is an assumption by most people that Group 3 syns are not real synthetic , in a way that's true. Btw a semi syn is a grp II oil mixed with at least 30% group III.
The argument about group 3 being not real FS began in 1999 when castrol marketed their Syntec Group 3 (hydrocracked mineral) .
Excerpt :
"In the late 1990s, Castrol started selling an oil made from Group III base oil and called it SynTec Full Synthetic. Mobil sued Castrol, asserting that this oil was not synthetic, but simply a highly refined petroleum oil, and therefore it was false advertising to call it synthetic. In 1999, Mobil lost their lawsuit. It was decided that the word "synthetic" was a marketing term and referred to properties, not to production methods or ingredients. Castrol continues to make SynTec out of Group III base oils, that is highly purified oil with most all of the cockroach bits removed.

Shortly after Mobil lost their lawsuit, most oil companies started reformulating their synthetic oils to use Group III base stocks instead of PAOs or diester stocks as their primary component. Most of the "synthetic oil" you can buy today is actually mostly made of this highly-distilled and purified dino-juice called Group III oil. Group III base oils cost about half as much as the synthetics. By using a blend of mostly Group III oils and a smaller amount of "true" synthetics, the oil companies can produce a product that has nearly the same properties as the "true" synthetics, and nearly the same cost as the Group III oil. In fact, Mobil-1 is now primarily made from Group III unconventional base oils, exactly the stuff Mobil was claiming was not really synthetic. The much more expensive traditional synthetics are now available in their pure forms only in more expensive and harder to obtain oils."

So to summarize, there is no need to be pedantic about off the shelf synthetics like Shell Helix Ultra, Castrol Magatec , or Mobil 1 not being "true" FS, their performance is already VERY close to Group IV(Amsoil/REDLINE/ RP) In fact, it has been shown that additives blend in better with the lower base oil. You will be hard pressed to tell a difference at 10000km OCI.
To cap this, let me show you a video.

Won't la.
But there are cheaper options if u wan, even for fully synthetic.

Maybe hipro.
Local blend with factory at selangor perindustrian area. They also blends their own oil and their top spec oil quite high spec with ok price with ester.
Their cheapest fully oil also only rm65 but only with sm spec. However it is still fully and also boost higher cleaning additives apparently, by up to 30%.
Can be used for old cars requiring sm spec and below.

I sad. I never work for any oil company...

Maybe hipro.

Cheaper ones u can try famous brands like shell, petronas, but you must get the genuine original. Those too cheap are fakes.

For cheaper alternative u can try mizu or bold. I tried before so far their product works.

If u wan local manufacturer, can try feoso or hipro. I am quite interested in hipro maxclyn fully synthetic oil. Its cheap rm65 and supposed to have better cleaning by 30%. Means their detergents additives in the oil should be a lot more than whicher product they are comparing. Sadly they didnt say.

Mos2 is one of the many ingredients used in their additives to reduce frictions. However not necessarily those with mos2 means its the best. Until now i dunno what is best and just read engine oil analysis from various oils to get a general idea.
All engine oils have a few ingredients mixed in.

Got link? Thanks

As far as i know, yes that is their signature color.
I dont think its hard to imitate.. i think can put coloring.

I do not know if i bought ori or fake one before the 10w40 LM..but when i reached 3k km, it felt not so smooth anymore. Many years ago i tried it. Even tried the small mos2 bottle additives which is teh tarik color lol

My cibik i use almost new bold engine oil below 500km to dyno on dynojet. Got 260hp. No overheat or wat, dynoed done after 20+ pulls.