Ground Control sleeves - I know it's my own fault, but...

...have you guys ever had issues with the springs rubbing against the sleeve threads?

I was running a longer spring w/o a helper - when installed, and still on the jack stands, the spring made contact from the bottom perch to the top spring seat.

Following an auto-x, the car was making a groaning sound as I would enter and exit my driveway.  Up on jack stands, I noticed that on the drivers side rear I had some sleeve thread rubbed away (pass side rear was completely fine and normal) - and the spring was now a 1/2 below the top mount.

Has anyone had issues with GC sleeves and an "un-tendered" spring?

Both rear dampers also make a funny, grinding/dirt in it noise as you articulate the shafts - the guy from Koni said he's never heard that without seals being blown - no leaks on the dampers, though.

So, I may have a two-fer....

It's pretty normal for those springs to go loose on full droop. And yes, if they don't seat properly they can rub. It's a much bigger problem with the Illumina application on the Miata than the Koni one due to the way the perches sit on the shock.

Would the condition cause issues with the damper shafts?  I can't see how, but neither am I an expert... 

I can't honestly think of a time the car would have been anywhere close to full droop on the suspension, except maybe going in and out of my driveway (the Focus had such a stiff chassis, that coming up the curb would routinely lift a wheel).

Is this an issue that is specific to the Miata? I'm planning longer softer springs on the Civic which has GC coil overs and plan to experience full droop occasionally.

It's not going to cause a problem with the shocks.

Full droop is going to happen slowly, as the weight of the wheel is fighting the damping. In and out of a driveway is a good time to do it, but more likely it didn't sit properly when it came off the jackstads.

It was all fine and dandy (i.e. quiet and smooth) after the initial install, and until after the auto-x - by several days - and the car wasn't on jack stands again until I took the Koni's off.

Unfortunately, I didn't inspect them right away; turns out that if they're stored flat, they can air bubble (something they did NOT do last time I stored them off the car incorrectly...).  So I cycled per Koni's directions, they were beautiful and quiet and smooth in operation, and I set them upright/vertical.   Playing around with them about half hour later, one of the rear dampers was sucking air again.

This is the second time I've had a strange anomaly with Koni's (actually, the third if you count two defective rear units I got when I first bought them...); the first time the suspected unit tested ok, so I put it back on the car.  Car was fine for quite a while, but I didn't like the spring rates.

I put some 400lb units on the front (first it was 450 - too much; then it was 425 - those were ok, but...), and man, I loved it.  Fantastic feel to them, didn't matter what road surface.

Then auto-x, and they felt crappy.  Re-adjusted my ride height, they were ok for a while; a week or two later, the cowl shake on roads that used to be gravy was just horrible.  Changed out to some known good dampers/springs, rides like a Cadillac.

Not sure what the h-e-double hockey sticks is going on.  Somewhere between GC sleeves getting ground down by springs and funky Koni's, I'm having quite the time of it.

I say the Konis are going bad, send em in for repair. 

Our GCs don't have helpers on the Merkur and I have to help reseat them after a full droop session, but what you're describing I've only ever seen with leaking or worn shocks...