Afterburner or Microwarp Drive for Speed Tanking?

If I want to speed tank a frigate for PvP tackling, should I fit an Afterburner or a MWD?

Solution 1:

The Microwarpdrive also increases your signature radius by 500% (for T1/T2), not only your speed. While you get a small benefit because the speed increase including affecting skills is higher than 500%, most of the effect of the increased speed on tanking is offset by the vastly increases signature radius.

In most cases, speed tanking refers to using Afterburners on ships with a small signature. This will make it harder to track you when using turrets (if you're flying at an angle to your opponent), and will also drastically reduce the damage of missiles hitting you.

There is one case where you want to use an MWD for speed tanking, and that is if your opponent is using drones. If you can outrun the drones, you won't take any significant damage from them. This can work even with small drones if you're in a frigate going 4k+ m/s.

A tackler will still fit an MWD most of the time simply to be able to catch fast ships. You just switch off the MWD after you scrammed your opponent and orbit your target, which will help a bit with speed tanking. Ideally you would fit both AB and MWD, but that doesn't work on every ship and limits your choice of medium slots.

Solution 2:

As already said in most cases the afterburner is the best option for speed tanking, except if you want to speed tank drones.

There is however another important exceptions and that is Interceptors. Interceptors have a hugely reduced MWD signature bloom, so here an MWD is the better option for speed tanking.

Btw. you can simulate the effect of MWD vs. AB for your ship and target using EFT.