Ummm, actually, not quite. If you read some of the peer reviewed literature outlining hardcore relay design details like contact materials, pressure a nd over travel, among many others, for DC relays anyway, relay life is actu ally improved by the redistribution of contact material by inductive flybac k, tending to repair the erosion caused by the closure. Note the operative phrase is "is improved" and not "may be improved." Generally it is safe to say that if the relay is used within its inductive rating (or derating as t he case may be) you can expect the full operational MTBF, however it is spe c'd like 10,000 electrical actuations at full load, 1 million mechanical ac tuations, etc., without possibly making things *worse* with a snubber.