[Dix Dogfight]

Whooa. That took a long time to read. But it's a very interesting topic.
Here's my take on the "Do i measure all the different setups or do I make a simulated test on each type of component"

Say you want to compare 10WB, 4 pumps, 10 rads and 2 types of plumbing. That gives you 10*4*10*2=800 different combinations.
Versus running 10+4+10+2=26 different tests for the simulated test measurement setups.

I know you guys are putting alot of time and effort into these matters and I (fore one) really appreciate it. But I would not expect it from any of you to do measurements on 800 different setups.

So from this point of view the simulation approach is the only way to go.

There are of course a number of other factors that makes simulated measurements better, reproducability, better control of the variables etc.

Just my 2 cents