MT engine wear fear (concerned about high engine RPM at highway speeds)

[TFCfan2021]

Am I the only one worried that my 2015 MT engine running at nearly 3,000 rpm at 60 mph for extended highway runs is going to cause premature engine wear vs a CVT model? I intend to drive this vehicle until failure.

I have been keeping highway speeds down to 55mph just to help reduce the rpms a tad bit. I'm not really in a hurry to get anywhere and if I could slow down more without being ran over on the highway I would. Here in PA most 4 lane highway speed limits are 55 mph, most folks do 70 or more with no second thought.

I guess it's just me, but I would hope the folks at Mitsubishi made this engine to run at those rpms. I just see in my mind piston rings screaming for help.

Can anyone help calm my fears? Am I the only one? This may be partially due to being a big motor guy owning his first small motor car?

[inuvik]

Am I the only one worried that my 2015 MT engine running at nearly 3,000 rpm at 60 mph for extended highway runs is going to cause premature engine wear vs a CVT model? I intend to drive this vehicle until failure.

I have been keeping highway speeds down to 55mph just to help reduce the rpms a tad bit. I'm not really in a hurry to get anywhere and if I could slow down more without being ran over on the highway I would. Here in PA most 4 lane highway speed limits are 55 mph, most folks do 70 or more with no second thought.

I guess it's just me, but I would hope the folks at Mitsubishi made this engine to run at those rpms. I just see in my mind piston rings screaming for help.

Can anyone help calm my fears? Am I the only one? This may be partially due to being a big motor guy owning his first small motor car?

I think you can relax. I had a 1987 Dodge Colt with a 4 speed than turned 3500rpm at 60 mph. I sold it with over 200k miles. Still didn't burn any oil. Mitsubishi makes a excellent small motor. With a double over head cam multi-valve engine you shouldn't worry. You should be able to run this motor continously at these rpm's without fear of shortening the lifespan of the motor.

[TFCfan2021]

I sure hope you are right...

[laceygirl]

At 120 kilometres an hour my manual mirage is pulling about 3200 revs on the taco.... It loves it...

[ahintofpepperjack]

Most motorcycles engines are spinning at 5,000+RPM at 60MPH.

A friend of mine had a VW jetta that spun at 3K on the highway, he sold it with over 350,000 miles on it.

I wouldn't worry about it.

[TFCfan2021]

Granted, this motor is smaller than most motorcycles... but...

For the sake of argument, isn't there something to be said about the higher rpms vs it's CVT counterpart? More movement and faster movement means more heat, more friction, more wear, etc?

[inuvik]

I sure hope you are right...

You don't have to worry about blowing a timing belt because the Mirage has a timing chain. Torque peak on the 3A92 is 4200 rpm so I wouldn't be worried about humming along between 3-4k rpm. In fact it's probably harder on the engine to lug around like the CVT likes to do. That's why I've never worried about when crusing at 60 mph coming up to a hill and the CVT will rev up to 4800-5000 before dropping down to between 3000-3500 rpm to climb a grade. Let 'er rev !!!

[cyclopathic]

I wouldn't worry as log as you use quality synthetic oil. The car we traded in for Mirage, 1996 Protege with 1.5L engine was geared the same 3,000RPM at 60mph. It had 433,740mi on odometer, engine has never been rebuilt. Most of wear happens during cold start, so it is important to baby it 1st 5-10min.

[Cobrajet]

I'd wager that 3000 rpm, while high for an old 350 Chevy, isn't much for a small modern motor. Especially one that redlines at 6500 rpm.

Keep the oil clean and I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[M-88]

I'd wager that 3000 rpm, while high for an old 350 Chevy, isn't much for a small modern motor. Especially one that redlines at 6500 rpm.

Keep the oil clean and I wouldn't worry too much about it.

My old Jeep 4.0 had no problem running at 3700 RPM for 70 miles towing in 2nd gear at 65MPH!

The 3A92 has a LONGER stroke than a 350 small block! If a 350 can run all day at 3000RPM - and they did in dump trucks - the Mitsubishi engine will have no problem!

Also - most modern engines don't have piston skirts. The only thing I would be worried about in a modern engine for high RPM operation would be the long cam chain for running the dual overhead cams. Even at that - the only companies that seem to have issues with cam chains is VW and GM so you're safe!