Totally get what you're saying about the stress factor. When I switched from city commuting to mostly highway driving, I noticed something similar with my old Jeep Cherokee. It wasn't just the MPG bump (though that was nice), but the engine seemed happier overall—less overheating, smoother idle, fewer weird noises. Makes me wonder if stop-and-go traffic is secretly killing our cars faster than we realize... Plus, there's something about open roads and fresh air that just makes driving feel like an adventure again.
I've noticed something similar with my Audi. Back when I was commuting downtown daily, the maintenance lights popped up way more often... brakes wore out quicker, oil changes felt more frequent. Now that I'm mostly cruising highways, it's like the car breathes easier. Definitely less stressful on both of us.
Interesting observation, but highway driving isn't always easier on every car. My brother's Subaru actually had more tire wear and alignment issues when he switched to mostly highway commuting—probably due to higher speeds and longer distances. City driving can be rough on brakes and oil, sure, but highways aren't exactly a free pass either... different stresses, different maintenance headaches. Just something to keep in mind.
"different stresses, different maintenance headaches."
Yeah, I've noticed that too. My old Civic handled city driving like a champ, but when I switched to a longer highway commute, I started getting these weird vibrations around 70 mph—turned out to be uneven tire wear. Ever had issues with tire balancing at higher speeds?
Had a similar issue with my old Mustang—smooth as butter around town, but once I hit highway speeds, it felt like riding a washing machine on spin cycle. Turned out the wheels needed balancing and alignment was off too. Classic cars are great at reminding you they're classics... usually at the worst possible moment.