Circa 2010 there was an engineering study to get greater longevity from industrial drive chains. The basic conclusion was steel on steel, too loose/tight install, misalignment, load cycles, and tight radius sprockets were all a contributing factor in premature wear and needed replacement. Load cycles, and steel on steel wear can't be helped, and chain tension and alignment is on the installer. As to lube or not seems to be a personal preference, but refrain from any type of solvent as that will degrade the trapped grease behind the o-rings. In a perfect world, the lube needs to be applied only to the chain barrels as they contact the sprockets. But by going with a 18-19 front sprocket and say a 43-44 tooth should buy you some extra use and still closely match usable ratios. I use a 19/44 and have come to prefer the balance 'tween available power and revs at speed. Do the ratio math first, if you know what you're trying to achieve. BTW, adding one tooth to the front is relatively close to dropping two at the back, if that helps.
