TeGGeR wrote:

> The boots crack due to a combination of cold

cold is adverse only if is beyond freezing point, warmth is actually
more damaging to rubber.

and steering stresses. If the
> boots were on the REAR driveshafts of a front-steering car, they will last
> almost indefinitely in any environment.

Really, that's a whopper! Do you have any arguments to support that?



>
>
> There is nothing you can do to prevent cracking (except for never turning
> the steering wheel


that won't change anything much, the rubber gets dry and cracked just
from being exposed to the environment. Main killer for it is ozone (no,
I'm not an environmentalist) If you ever had the chance to inspect a car
kept many years in a garage, you'd have noticed that all the rubbers
aged and cracked.



> CV joints go bad chiefly because the boots split and water gets in.


Actually is the sand which mixes with the grease and forms an abrasive
paste which damages the friction surfaces. Single water will not damage
the joint unless you hose it into the joint.