“…there something simple here that I’m just missing…”
Chris,
Based on what you have shared, I think I can help you identify what you are missing.
The color ramps are used as a tool to give the user an indication of the quality of the CMY grey-balance prior to profiling.
As you’ve acknowleged, one will never get the perfect balance through the entire ramp.
Also, it is important for you to understand that the colorimetric ink limiting and linearization process is designed to equalize the dot gain behavior of the inks so that the profiler can make the most of the printer/ink/paper color gamut.
Equalizing the dot gain behavior of the inks through proper ink restriction settings, ink limits and linearization should result in a fairly decent grey-balance ramp.
The profiler will usually complete the job of fine-tuning the gray balance.