[Sharlin]

And I can assure you that most of the car noise where I live is tire noise (typical speeds around or exceeding 40 km/h which is the default limit in urban areas around here) Especially when the streets are wet and/or when it's studded tire season (that is to say, about five months per year). I realize that both of those conditions are almost completely alien to Californians, but there is a whole world outside the Sunny State as well!