Effective traverse
How fast a vehicle actually turns on a given ground type, once engine power, weight and terrain resistance are accounted for.
Also known as real traverse, achievable traverse.
The traverse figure on a specification sheet assumes ideal conditions. What a vehicle really turns at depends on the same three factors that drive its speed, so it degrades on soft ground exactly where manoeuvring matters most.
It is what decides whether a heavy tank can keep its front pointed at a medium circling it, which is the fight the number exists to predict.
Related terms
Hull traverseHow fast a vehicle turns on the spot, in degrees per second, which decides whether it can keep its front toward a faster opponent.Terrain resistanceHow much each ground type slows a vehicle down, quoted for hard, medium and soft terrain, where lower is better.Power-to-weightEngine horsepower divided by the vehicle's weight in tonnes, the single best predictor of acceleration.KitingStaying at a distance an opponent cannot close, retreating as they advance and firing on the way.