So what makes a tire loud or quiet?
I always figured it was the tread.
Big 4x4's with knobby mud tires comes to mind.

But the EcoPlus Conti's have very smooth, even tread.
And now that I have 59,000 miles, they are even smoother.
I never thought they were loud, but I don't have anything to compare them to other than knobby off-road tires.

In a lab, could they be a couple decibels more than some? I'm sure.
But can people in the car really tell? And how do you tell without a dB meter in the car? The quality of the road makes most of the noise, and this changes mile by mile.

I'm weary to think people assume more expensive tires are quieter.
Maybe they are. How can we tell for sure? Does everyone just go by ( go buy ) what the manufacturer says is quieter?

Confused... But I will need 4 tires in 1 year.

I do mostly highway... so quietness is something that interests me.
-John