looking to prolong life, prevent rust and early ware(kinks and fish hooks...), i have an M8000 with hause.
thanks :beer:

Not much you can do except for avoiding side-pulls whenever possible (which isn't very practical) and always respooling the cable neatly. A roller fairlead might help, but they tend to not like being beaten against rocks. But being honest with yourself, if you don't regularly beat your front bumper against boulders in rock garden style trails.

If you're that worried about it, sell your nice perfect cable and buy the syntheitc rope.b

Keep the rope clean (dirt and mud will wear on the galvanizing which leads to rust) and tightly wrapped on the drum makes a huge difference. Pay all of the rope off of the drum once in a while and give it a good once over. If it has slivers you can cut them flush with a pair of diaganal cutters. Watch for flat (pinched) spots and kinks. Some can be worked by hand or by putting a load on it. Too many bad spots will lead to rope failure so use your best judgement as you look at it.

When you are winching, if you have to make a side pull, winch a short distance, unspool a little and respool to avoid stacking the rope on the edge of the drum. Paying attention to how the rope is stacking on the drum while winching is the only way to avoid pinching or kinking it. Longer pulls can require respooling the rope several times before you complete the pull. Obviously there are situations where this may not be possible and you will just have to keep the pull as straight as possible, just remember to respool the rope before your next pull.

I'm w/ TNToy, ditch the steel cable and buy synthetic rope.:D