New Recon Grapplers - Shaking/Road Noise

First time post but long time lurker. I have a '13 Crewmax that just rolled over 100k miles and put Eibach Stage 2, SCS Ray10's and went with the new NITTO RECON GRAPPLERS, as they look money and have a lot of positive reviews.
I installed the suspension myself(thanks for all the info here - it was extremely helpful), had the tires/wheels put on about two weeks ago and experienced shaking b/w 40-70mph. Alignment was done right after tire install by a shop known for doing lifted trucks here in NOVA, Advanced Automotive.
I took it back to have the tires rebalanced but no change. Then had the tires Road Forced balanced and the tech mentioned the tires were fine and actually didn't need much weight to balance them. Shaking/road noise was still significant after the road force balance.
I rotated the tires to see if it was one specific one, and found that the lugs were on way too tight. Torque'd the lugs to 97ft/lbs and most of the shaking went away. While doing this I also re-torque'd all the suspension bolts, but didn't see any that were out of spec after driving a few hundred miles.
So now, I am not really sure where to go from here. The shaking is largely gone, but the truck still has a very slight shake b/w 50-70. Honestly feels a bit squirrelly on the highway as well. The tire noise is not unbearable but I can't believe that this amount of noise is normal, especially considering my brother in law gave me a ride in his Silverado, with 35" Trail Grapplers and they were quieter on the highway than these new Recons.

Is it possible a suspension or alignment issue could cause significantly more road noise? I figured the tires weren't bad due to the feedback from the road force balancing.
I debated on returning the tires, but I didn't go through a place like discount tire so not sure if i could get a set of something else. I could potentially get another set of Recon's but if this is truly how they sound/feel, then not really much point.

Apologies for the long post but I am just kinda stuck here not sure what to do about it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Ez

 

Update for folks that are dealing with tire balancing issues. I took the truck back up to the alignment shop who after inspecting bushings, ball joints etc said everything suspension wise is GTG. Apparently though, the road force balance was only a static balance not dynamic. Lesson Learned - make sure to specify dynamic balancing or the shop will probably charge you the $175 and just do static balance. Their reasoning for it was that they didn't have anywhere to put the weights on the outer edge of the wheel.

 

Can you post your alignment sheet?

 

They checked the alignment again today when I took it back to the shop about the shaking/noise. Below is what they spec'd it at today.

 

Gotta admit This process has taken much of the joy out of my first mods to the truck:/
Still excited with how it looks but can’t even enjoy driving it yet…..
Found a 2nd place to roadforce balance b/c the 1st one wouldn’t dynamic rebalance them b/c they were aftermarket wheels. 2nd place tells me there “may” be a flat spot in the rear tire. Driving home it was Shaking worse than a washing machine with a huge blanket in it. To top it off- they put 3 big gouges in one of the wheels:/. Needless to say- not having them touch the truck again.
Honestly I’m partially using this to vent b/c my wife is sick of hearing about it but , anyone know of a reputable place to do a roadforce balance ? This will be the 3rd try on getting the shaking/noise ironed out and just getting pretty frustrated.
Any advice would be super appreciated.


Thanks!
Ez

 

Damn man, that sucks!!!! Im in the process of upgrading to a nitto recon 285 60 r20. 2015 with 5100 middle setting. I currently have brake pulsations and just purchased all new rotors and pads which should completely fix this crap. The guy tells me he has owned several tundras and they have all had the same brake issues. The cryo rotor are more than the kit he uses. Anyway sorry about the issue. Where did you purchase the tires from? You could replace them under warranty at discount tire. Maybe the shop you got them from has a similar program.

 

what air pressure are you running in them? You may think that is an odd question, but I have found that tundras (mine at least) are very sensitive to tire pressure changes, wheel balance, alignment. I've had some shaking when air pressure was on the higher side, and also when too low. Ive had shaking when alignment was off a bit and in general, Tundras seem to be a pain to balance tires, not too bad with P load, but bigger, heavier E load tires take some skill to balance.

 

Appreciate the input. @Tiamat even after my woes I still think you made a good choose on the tires. Which sidewall you choose? You’ll have to let me know what you think of the road noise. I was expecting a bit quieter at 70mph, but I could just be a moon to bigger AT tires. Overall, not too bad on the noise front. I will say one of the biggest lessons I’ve gotten in this process has been, but from a place like discount tire , that has a ride guarantee. Most performance shops, once you drive them, have to go through nitto warranty which apparently is difficult process.
I had a dynamic balance done again at the 1st shop and that did help pretty significantly. Still have a slight shake b/w 50 and 65 but the. Kinda fades out by 70mph. I have centric cryo/ hawk pads on now but it’s definitely time for a new set. Took a chance on the R1 concepts brakes - Installing later this week.
@frichco228 interesting you mention tire pressure. I have tried a few different psi. They are at 38 right now but notice I don’t have as much shake when they are cold, once they heat up it presents a bit more. Maybe tire pressure is increasing past that threshold where the shake starts. I’ll bump the PSI down and see if that helps.
Also- any one ever heard of balancing with pins for tundras instead of the cone that holds the wheel on the machine? Heard that b/c tundras are lug centric that it could change how th store was balanced. Curious if anyone has any info on that.
Thanks!
Ez

 

Im going to install a set of Rebel 5 20x9 +1mm offset rims and 285 60 R20s
I think i want the impossible. Want the look of the nittos with the ride of michellins. I’ve been reading every review on the Recons and everyone says they are as quiet as street tires, but it very subjective. Trying to fi g someone local with the recons on 20s.
heck I've even contemplated 18s to get a little more sidewall and better ride.

 

Try different pressure for sure and see how it reacts. I am pretty sure tundras are hub centric, not lug centric, as least the 2 and 2.5 gens.

 

Man I know the feeling as I had hell with these new MT Baja Boss A/T tires. Went back 3 different times and had them balanced, rotated, etc.

The 3rd and final time I requested a manager or "someone who knows how to run the machine" to do the balance. Initially they only put weight on the outer portion of the wheel. The final time they distributed weight along the backsides of my wheel "spokes" and even found a tire that wouldn't balance. Took 3 different visits to find that tire

Anyway, after the tire replacement and re-balance. She rides smooth as butter.

There's hope at the end of the tunnel for ya.