# Has this ever happened to anyone else? Pebble vs. Rotor **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636 "2009-06-02T06:28:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bigairskier1580](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bigairskier1580/32/7612_2.png) [@Bigairskier1580](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bigairskier1580)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/1 "2009-06-02T06:28:26Z")
I drive a fair amount on dirt roads. Yesterday, I was scared shitless. As I was driving down the road, this WRETCHED metal on metal noise started howling from my front passenger side wheel. I thought for sure something was catastrophically wrong and either my wheel was going to fall off or the brakes were seriously f’ed up. I stopped in a hurry and jack up the wheel. Hmm, no play in the wheel, brakes look normal and everything is nice, tight and secure. So I pull off the wheel to look around a bit more. Somehow, a tiny pebble had lodged itself firmly between the dust shield and the rotor. The wretched noise was the pebble’s friction on the rotor. The odds of that happening are about 813672634724623753667 to 1 the way I see it. The pebble had to find its way up into the middle of the wheel and be of just the exact size to wedge itself into the space between the shield and the rotor, but not be too loose so that it would fall out. Has anyone else had something so random and rare happen like that with their car while driving? ---
**Author:** ![Janus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@Janus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Janus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/2 "2009-06-02T06:33:12Z")
not between the shield and rotor, but between the brake pad and the rotor. I chalked it up to a botched install when I had put pads in the week prior, but I was careful as always doing it… like you said, its possible you can just kick one up and catch it (random as that is)… gouged it pretty good if i remember correctly ☹ i was like how the hell did that happen?! ---
**Author:** ![Bigairskier1580](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bigairskier1580/32/7612_2.png) [@Bigairskier1580](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bigairskier1580)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/3 "2009-06-02T06:34:10Z")
> [@Janus](#): > > not between the shield and rotor, but between the brake pad and the rotor. I chalked it up to a botched install when I had put pads in the week prior, but I was careful as always doing it… like you said, its possible you can just kick one up and catch it (random as that is)… gouged it pretty good if i remember correctly ☹ i was like how the hell did that happen?! Oh man, that is nuts. Between the pad and rotor? How does something even manage to get in there?!?! ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/4 "2009-06-02T06:35:29Z")
+1 on between pad and rotor. My first car, an 85 Toyota Tercel. I used to regularly drive 60+ on dirt roads though. ---
**Author:** ![Southtowns27](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/southtowns27/32/5002_2.png) [@Southtowns27](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Southtowns27)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/5 "2009-06-02T06:50:40Z")
That used to happen ALL the time on my F-250. I live out in the dingweeds though so most roads aren’t paved. Hasn’t happened on my Dodge yet though… ---
**Author:** ![LAFENGAS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/lafengas/32/7573_2.png) [@LAFENGAS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LAFENGAS)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:55am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/6 "2009-06-02T06:55:27Z")
between rotor and shield has happend to me…multiple times. Not to the extent i feel i need to stop. I gets caught…and falls out after a short period of time. If not, reverse takes care of it. ---
**Author:** ![Bigairskier1580](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bigairskier1580/32/7612_2.png) [@Bigairskier1580](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bigairskier1580)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/7 "2009-06-02T06:59:21Z")
Wow. A lot more common than I thought it would be. It seems unlikely to me because the variables have to line up just right. ---
**Author:** ![dmoffitt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dmoffitt/32/7455_2.png) [@dmoffitt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dmoffitt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/8 "2009-06-02T07:11:11Z")
_shrug_ happens all the time ---
**Author:** ![LAFENGAS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/lafengas/32/7573_2.png) [@LAFENGAS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LAFENGAS)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/9 "2009-06-02T07:37:44Z")
the heat shield is usually just a thin piece of stamped steel that has a lot of flex to it… _“just the exact size”_ pebble is actually a pretty broad range. It’s even likely that the pebble was so large that it flexed the heat shield into the rotor causing actual contact. ---
**Author:** ![Joehip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Joehip](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joehip)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/10 "2009-06-02T09:18:24Z")
Happened to a buddy of mines Mazda 6 last month…Didnt figure out what was causing the sound till I changed the brakes for him. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/11 "2009-06-02T09:42:20Z")
It happened to me on the back roads of Pennsultucky when I was messing around on the way to an STPR stage. It is LOUD when it gets stuck because the heatshield is like acts like a loudspeaker. I thought I screwed up my car by sliding in the gravel. lol ---
**Author:** ![ultradriver10000](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ultradriver10000/32/7397_2.png) [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/12 "2009-06-02T09:58:17Z")
Rocks used to get all jammed up in my Cherokees drums all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Doespike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/doespike/32/5083_2.png) [@Doespike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Doespike)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/13 "2009-06-02T10:52:25Z")
Yep. Picked up a pebble between the caliper bracket and rotor. Didn’t make any noise…I just began noticing a line being etched in the disc. Popped off the wheel and found it. ---
**Author:** ![Motocrossx23](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/motocrossx23/32/5120_2.png) [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/14 "2009-06-02T10:55:40Z")
This happened to me last summer on my bike, I was in sherkston and SOMEHOW a small amount of sand got stuck in between my pad and rotor in the front and it screeched like a dying pig until I took it apart ---
**Author:** ![66impalass](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/66impalass/32/7429_2.png) [@66impalass](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/66impalass)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/15 "2009-06-02T10:57:05Z")
its extremely common, and reverse works wonders ---
**Author:** ![deebo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/deebo/32/5218_2.png) [@deebo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/deebo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/16 "2009-06-02T14:42:50Z")
my dust cover thing somehow bent and was making the awful sound after like 20minutes of driving i just bent the shit out of it the other way lol ---
**Author:** ![Karter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@Karter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Karter)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/17 "2009-06-02T14:56:04Z")
i raced dirt track for 7 years, never once heard of that happening, have seen stones come up and wedge the throttle wide open tho. glad you found it before you needed to make an emergency stop. ---
**Author:** ![Viper966](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/viper966/32/7268_2.png) [@Viper966](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Viper966)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/18 "2009-06-02T16:07:53Z")
> [@Just Karter](#): > > i raced dirt track for 7 years, never once heard of that happening, have seen stones come up and wedge the throttle wide open tho. > > glad you found it before you needed to make an emergency stop. dirt track cars normally dont run dust sheilds on their rotors do they? and how many rocks are in that dirt? ---
**Author:** ![Carbonfiberhooded](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/carbonfiberhooded/32/7608_2.png) [@Carbonfiberhooded](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carbonfiberhooded)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/19 "2009-06-02T16:15:33Z")
It happened to my friend’s Tundra. We weren’t on normal paved roads though. Mud bog’s apparently have stones too sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![ILC](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ilc/32/5337_2.png) [@ILC](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ILC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636/20 "2009-06-02T16:46:29Z")
when my brakes are 1/2 worn it will happen all the time… but a track day and I don’t have to worry about that anymore 🙂 [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/has-this-ever-happened-to-anyone-else-pebble-vs-rotor/68636.md?page=2)