the key is not getting foreign objects in your pump. I still have the original factory OEM plastic wear ring on my 04 RXP and it is still nearly perfect as it was installed 80 hours ago from the factory.
the problem is that I have to fix other peoples pumps after they ingest who knows what, examples are a wind breaker jacket, a bicycle inner tube, a childs floating arm band, a fishing pole(or what was left of it), a million ski ropes and a billion sticks. nearly every time I fix a pump with a ss wear ring, the damage is worse than it would have been if it would have had a plastic wear ring, that's the only point I'm trying to make.