when i took the car in for allignment, the right rear camber was @ -0.69. When the guy adjusted it as far as it would go, it only went to -0.30, which is within specs, but not ideal. I know this is a very minor issue and i can't even tell the difference driving it, but shouldn't the adjustments have a little more room in them or is there something wrong.

oh, the left rear camber is @ -o.11

 

Q) has the car been lowered? if so how much?
Q) did you get the tires set to the exact same pressure just before the alignment?
Q) all all tires of the same age?
Q) Have you run over any curbs (hard), or big pot holes?

You should have had the LR set to the same spec as the RR would take. That is, you should have the alignment tech set both rears to the same number.

 

no
the tires had just been mounted, so i'm guessing they did
yes
nothing bad

 

Did the alignment tech try rotating the offset bolt in BOTH directions? A common mistake is to go in one direction and get the washer stuck at the top of the relief area. Let's assume he did. The way the bushings (top and bottom) have worn and settled can make difference. Did you hit a pot-hole, curb, grate, etc, on that side? Just the tolerances in manufacturing could account for this difference. You stated you had -0.30` on one side and -0.11` on the other. The alignment tech SHOULD have set them EQUAL. Most don't. They just look for "in-spec" and that's it. Go back and get the camber reset to match on both sides. You will not get and adverse tire wear up to about -0.5` camber, possibly more depending on other settings and tire size. When you get to cambers around -0.5`+, you start getting problems with road ruts and the car will start to hunt and wander. The front is more sensative, but the back can do it too. With stock size tires, this should not be a problem until you hit -0.75`. All alignment settings should be EQUAL left-right. Some argue that compensation for the crown of the road needs to be accounted for. Think about just how often you are on a road where that is an issue. If many of the roads you drive, you are on the right side of the crown and it's an issue for you, try compensating with a 0.5` difference in caster.

I use my car as a daily driver and a weekend roadracer. My tire/wheel setup is: Fr 275-35's on 18x10's, Rr 335-30's on 18x12's. The alignment is:
Toe Camber Caster
Front 1/16"in -0.5` 7.1` each side, so total toe in is 1/8"
Rear 1/16"in -0.5` each side, total toe in is 1/8"
This is more toe in than what I want but, the machine at the shop I go to reads in decimal eqivilants to inches and the increments are in 1/16's. The graphic readout shows minor movements with in the 1/16" increments. The people there know me and how I want things done. The tech played with the setting until he got them in the middle of the increment. In reality, I *should* have about 1/32" toe in on each wheel. However, the back feels closer to 1/16". Yes, I can feel that! My tire wear is fine. Well, except when I go to the track. :eek

 

not ideal for what?
unless you are a dedicated drag racer, you probably want MORE than -0.3 camber

 

I just changed my lower control arm on the rear and painted the concentric bolt before removal and lined up afterwards. I'm taking it to an English shop to line up (with the book), but I'm not to confident they will know what to do? If I put it back into the same place, do you think I'll have any problems.

PS. the Air Force base service station says they can't align corvettes. I think they just don't want to try.

 

The AFB station can't do a Vette?!? I'll bet they've only worked on older Vettes and some of those are a royal pain in the butt to set. A C5 is one of the easiest cars to do a 4 wheel alignment on. Convince the AFB guys to at least look at the car. Everything - toe, camber, caster - is adjustable from the underside, no climibing under the hood.

I'd bet your alignment is off with the new control arm. When I changed my bushings, I marked all my bolts and settings. Nothing was close. Granted, I went from rubber to poly. :D I'd take it in just to be sure.One thing, get about 500 miles on the new control arm before getting the alignment. Hit some rough roads. The bushings need to settle, otherwise you'll be on the rack twice. Although, most shops won't charge you for the 2nd session, you do have to deal with the extra hassle of going back.

I ALWAYS INSIST on watching the work being done and I check the monitor on the alignment machine. I've never been denied a request to look at the monitor. Sometimes you have to watch from outside the bay, but they should let you walk in the look things over. Make sure both sides are EQUAL and not just in-specs. :cheers:

 

Hey thanks for the tip of putting miles on the car first! I did check the other base (we have two withing 10 miles) and they will do a vette. I'm gonna try to watch them. Don't want to wear my brand new tires out or have a handling problem. :seeya