VKB-SIM

I have a Gunfighter MK 1 and use it to fly helos exclusively. I removed the springs and have the friction dampers unscrewed all the way. This has worked fine for the Huey on DCS but for the Ka50 I figured I'd need to take my hands off the stick more often and I do not want the stick to flop over unexpectedly. I want to add a little friction to the damper but when I do it feels like the flightstick is on rails, the rails being mutually exclusive y or x axis movements. What I mean to say is that moving diagonal is harder than just moving it along the y or x axis, making my subtle inputs very jerky.
My intuition tells me this is normal, since when moving exclusively along the x or y axis you are only engaging one damper. When moving diagonally I am engaging both the y AND x axis damper so the friction should be double. Am I right in thinking this? And is there anything I can do to make the diagonal movements smoother? I saw a post on here where someone mentioned the problem but it leaned toward his spring tension and cam choice and I am not using springs. Any input will be appreciated! No pun intended.

You're very right about the nature of your "double resistance" sensation.
There is nothing to eliminate this problem completely, however there is a trick that you might find helpful.
Fully unscrew (loosen) the dampers, and apply a small amount of extra viscous lube there, then tighten to your taste.
We have had reports that this worked.
Tell me if it helped you.