War Thunder is going to implement a new mechanic on wheeled vehicles next update : they can now be popped off when destroyed instead of deflating.
My personal feeling about this mechanic is that it’s an interesting one but has wasted potential and isn’t really realistic. Indeed, I struggle with the fact that even 7.62mm machine guns can actually pop the wheels of vehicles.
different calibers popping wheels
7.62mm roof mounted MG
12.7mm roof mounted MG
40mm APFSDS
120mm HEAT
This is both unrealistic and annoying, as you can see on that Fox, because that wheel pooping off causes the vehicle to sway and can cause certain vehicles to completely lose their available depression.
However, this mechanic remains very interesting and I feel like it can be made much more realistic with some minor changes :
- Small caliber rounds should not be able to pop wheels off (even less when they hit the tire rather than the axle) but should rather deflate them, as is currently the case. Some wheeled vehicles, like those of French vehicles like the VBCI or AMX10RC, feature wheels that are supposed to be drivable for miles after being struck and deflated by small arm fire. Thus, the deflating mechanic should reduce the maximum speed of those wheeled vehicles, but with a lesser amount than they currently do. Deflating tires should be achieved quite easily with just a few rounds, instead of spending a full magazine in the current situation
- Large caliber rounds, especially explosive ones should be able to pop wheels off. That is coherent as they have the necessary strength to break the wheel axle. Maybe solid shots and APFSDS should have to aim at the axle specifically. That wheel popping off should severely impact the stability and ability to move of the vehicle, just as is the case in the dev server