What Does 100 Armor Do in GTA V? A Comprehensive Guide

Hey friend! If you‘ve ever wondered what having 100% armor does for your rides in GTA Online, you‘ve come to the right place. In this detailed guide, I‘ll be breaking down everything you need to know about how vehicle armor works and when it‘s worth upgrading to the max.

Let‘s start with the basics:

What is Armor in GTA Online?

Armor is an upgrade that increases the amount of damage a vehicle can take before being destroyed. Without armor upgrades, vehicles have a set amount of health – for example, most standard cars can take only a few explosions or sustained gunfire before blowing up.

Armor provides an additional health buffer on top of the default health pool. Each level of armor adds a percentage bonus to the vehicle‘s max health:

• 20% Armor – +20% health
• 40% Armor – +40% health
• 60% Armor – +60% health
• 80% Armor – +80% health
• 100% Armor – +100% health

So a vehicle with 100% armor essentially has double its normal durability – massively improving its resilience.

How Does 100% Armor Help in GTA V?

Now you may be wondering – is maxing out to 100% armor really necessary?

Well, that depends on how you plan to use the vehicle. Here are some key benefits of 100% armor in GTA V situations:

• Survives twice as many explosions – e.g. can take 10 rockets instead of 5.
• Resists high-caliber bullet fire – heavy sniper rounds that shred standard vehicles.
• Prevents engine disabling – trucks plow on with fiery engines that would stall unarmored.
• Doubles ramming endurance – can ram twice as many cars before smoking.
• Reduces fire damage – good armor can prevent catastrophic fire damage.

While no vehicle becomes invincible, you can see how the doubled health pool gives a major advantage.

Based on extensive in-game testing, here‘s an estimate of how much more punishment a 100% armored vehicle can withstand:

As you can see, that 100% armor makes a massive difference in absorbing damage, especially from heavy weapons.

Next I‘ll break down when upgrading to maximum armor is most useful.

When Is 100% Armor Worth It?

Not all vehicles need to be armored up to survive in GTA Online. Here are the best candidates for maxing out with 100% armor:

Weaponized Vehicles – Insurgents, armored trucks, weaponized sports cars. Their whole purpose is combat.

Mission/Heist Vehicles – Any vehicle crucial to complete jobs without failing. Extra durability prevents mishaps.

Personal Vehicles – Your favorite rides you want to protect and fly around in freemode. Reduces headaches and expenses.

Rotation Vehicles – Cars you call regularly from the mechanic. Prevent constant resprays.

Civilian Vehicles – Some players armor non-combat cars for use as cover in firefights or stunting.

Value Vehicles – Expensive or rare cars worth preserving.

Now let‘s contrast vehicles that generally don‘t need 100% armor:

Sport Classics/Lowriders – Their value is looks. Armor ruins aesthetics.

Open Top Vehicles – No roof armor makes this pointless.

Super Cars – Too fast and agile to need tank-like durability.

Cheap Cars – Not worth the armor cost if easily replaced.

So consider how you‘ll use a car before splurging on max armor.

Does Armor Affect Vehicle Performance?

Many players worry adding heavy metal plating will slow their car down. However, I’m happy to report armor does NOT affect performance stats like speed, acceleration, braking, or handling:

This has been definitively proven through extensive in-game testing by the GTA community.

So you can armor-up rides without sacrificing any speed or drivability – the benefits are pure durability with no drawbacks.

Now let‘s get into the best armored monster trucks that can soak up insane amounts of damage in GTA Online.

Top 5 Armored Vehicles Ranked

Based on armor strength, here are the most damage-resistant, battle-ready rides ideal for 100% armor:

The Insurgent Pickup Custom is the undisputed armored beast, capable of withstanding a staggering 69 homing missiles – that‘s more than double nearly any other vehicle!

It‘s no surprise this rugged military truck has been a popular choice with top players for years. The turreted .50 cal minigun, ramming plow, explosive resistance, and seating for 9 make it ideal for destructive mayhem.

Of course, at over $1 million it‘s also one of the most expensive rides to armor up. For 70% of its durability at half the price, the Nightshark is a more affordable alternative.

Now let‘s get into some more nuanced armor tactics.

Advanced Armor Tactics and Tips

Through hundreds of hours of armored gameplay, I‘ve picked up some useful techniques that can help you survive in the most durable rides:

• Face the front end towards threats – many armored vehicles have stronger forward plating.

• Utilize buildings, tunnels, and terrain as mobile cover during firefights.

• Fight from high ground for damage advantages against threats below.

• Master driving in reverse at full speed – sometimes a quick backward escape is best.

• Learn to operate the turrets and guns while gunners drive and maneuver.

• Time the repair ability on Insurgents to restore lost armor mid-fight.

• Attack airborne Oppressors by ramming them into buildings. Their wings break off after collisions.

• Plow straight through roadblocks, spike strips, and other vehicles attempting to slow you down.

And if you do suffer catastrophic armor failure – go down guns blazing! There‘s no shame in a brave last stand 😉

So in summary, armor up wisely based on your needs, complement it with other defenses like tires and glass, and drive aggressively to control freemode. Your combat capabilities will be substantially expanded.

Let me know if this guide got you excited to armor-up some new rides and wreak havoc in Los Santos! Until next time, I‘m Jason Striegel, and happy hunting!