I've been curious about this question for a while, and maybe some of you here more knowledgeable about engines know the answer. Assuming an engine is operating at a reasonable speed (for the sake of argument, lets just say under redline), does higher engine speed actually result in appreciably higher wear?
For example, if a given car is traveling on the highway in top gear, is there a legitimate difference in engine wear at, say, 80 mph at 3500 RPM vs 60 mph at 2500 RPM? Of course, there's a large difference in air resistance between 60 and 80 so you may see increased wear due to increased load, but the question still stands in cases where the speed difference isn't quite as great (e.g. towing, or ascending/descending grades in a lower gear).
If you're going a specific distance, the engine will rotate the same number of times regardless of how fast it's turning (assuming you stay in the same gear, assuming a directly coupled transmission, etc). Does that mean the wear is going to be roughly constant for a given trip, or do you see increased wear just because the engine is spinning faster?
For example, if a given car is traveling on the highway in top gear, is there a legitimate difference in engine wear at, say, 80 mph at 3500 RPM vs 60 mph at 2500 RPM? Of course, there's a large difference in air resistance between 60 and 80 so you may see increased wear due to increased load, but the question still stands in cases where the speed difference isn't quite as great (e.g. towing, or ascending/descending grades in a lower gear).
If you're going a specific distance, the engine will rotate the same number of times regardless of how fast it's turning (assuming you stay in the same gear, assuming a directly coupled transmission, etc). Does that mean the wear is going to be roughly constant for a given trip, or do you see increased wear just because the engine is spinning faster?