Pebbles catch in the fine sipes of modern tires and are carried in the
> tread. As the tire rolls, they abrade the roadways.
Total contact of harder than pavement objects in tires = .001%
> Earlier tire designs use coarse zig-zag treads that cannot pick up > small rocks.
>
The noise you hear from block treaded tires, opposed to those with fine tread designs is not simply incidental. Anything that generates energy - including sound energy- indicates 'work done' in the scientific sense.
Since this involves the entire tread surface, not just the incidental pebble in maybe one of 10 tires rolling on that track, a case could be made that firmer, wider tread with blocks affects the surface more than the odd pebble.
Finer siping, OTOH, provides more conformity and less abrading/scrubbing action.
Car manufacturers should specify tire tread designs that do no degrade
> the roads. Only rubber compound should contact the roadways.
Since the whole concept is Bullshit, it will probably become a law, eventually