squealing front tire -- HELP!

[Guest andywatson]

I've got a 98 Legacy OB Wagon with 70k miles. I've never had a problem with it - till now. The tires were getting pretty bald lately, but I was putting off getting new ones till I decided if I was going to keep the car or get something else.

 

Since a couple thousand miles ago, the front drivers' side tire squeals pretty loud after about 20 minutes of driving (I've got a 1 hour commute each way). Applying the brake doesn't change the squeal, so I don't think it's the brakes. It seems to be affected only by speed - the faster I go, the louder it gets.

 

So I finally put new tires on this morning, and they checked the alignment. It turns out that the front left tire was waaaaay out of spec, so they re-alligned it. But the squeal is still there. Did I tear something up by driving it so long when it was out of alignment? What could be causing the squealing? The nearest suby dealer is several hours away, so I'd like to diagnose it myself, if possible.

 

Thanks,

Andy

[Guest scoobtech]

I would still check the thickness of the brake pads . Could be too thin . :|