I can't remember where I read it but a gliding club with a Cub or Pawnee or some other such type reduced its cylinder replacement rate drastically by modifying the technique of throttle and airspeed reduction at the end of a a tow - I think it may have been in Pilot or Flyer this last year.
Shock cooling - definitely alive and well. In piston engined helicopters a period of time after touchdown is required to allow the engine to cool and non-catastrophic but important problems have been observed if this is not done.