Thread: Snorkel/RAI or ****

Originally Posted by karlz

the purpose of snorkel is to stop water/dust etc from entering engine- Yes? I also assume that adding a permanent snorkel/Rai will affect the amount of air able to enter the engine, i.e. making performance worse.

I experienced riding a motorbike thru deep water, I added a length of hose (a snorkel), but it was really noticeable that power dropped significantly off when it was on. It allowed me to drive thru the river though. Then I disconnected it and off I went.

They do look cool though.
But do we really need one?
Water yes, I see the point, but dust grime etc...
Do they really stop dust etc..
Do they make performance worse?

Do they just look cool/tough?

Btw. Thinking of getting one

My take:
Unless you are doing water crossings where you come close to dunking and so need a safety margin. (which in itself means you are going to face water ingress elsewhere and have other problems to deal with - and don't care about that because you are an intrepid adventurer and will have taken extra steps to see all the duct work and other sensitive bits are sealed up)

AND/OR

You drive a helluva lot through bulldust (not the office kind)

AND/OR

You just really like the look/style....

Then its a just ****.

Would never have a vehicle without one..but then again mines a work ute, not a toy..and yes they make a difference in dirt road driving for air cleaner cleanliness..

Definitely worth it for cleaner air and peace of mind, I reckon.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

Hi karlz , Funny how you ask this question . just yesterday my son called in , anyway we were outside having a chat , and I noticed he had turned the head of his snorkel/rai around 180* I asked him why have you done that ? He said my gas has been playing up , " Toyota 80 series " he said he thought It was his converter ! Then he said I got thinking about It , so I turned It around to see if It made any difference . Runner sweet as now , too much air getting forced in . I put my hand over It and they do suck , when revved . So they do work . Nice and high get that cooler air , and away from the dust !!.. Jim

As others have mentioned, it depends on what you do with your Land Rover. Having the air intake on the Defender just behind the wheel instead of in front is an issue in terms of dust intake. As far as I can see the intake would suck dust in more easily than if it was located forward of the wheel behind the headlight like most other 4x4's. Sure, if following other 4x4's in close convoy it probably does not make too much difference. That's why a leave a good gap. However in slower dusty track situations in a Defender, the higher the better IMHO.


I have put a RAI on almost all my 4x4's and it has never made a scrap of difference as far as I could tell in terms of performance. Most of the time (except for cheap RAI's) the bore of the inlet tube is greater than the OEM ducting so should have negligible impact on performance.


After cracking a head after traversing a deeper bog hole where the bow wave on exit sloshed back into the intake of my petrol 4x4 many years ago (which did not have a RAI), for me a $350.00 Safari snorkel or similar is cheap insurance.
I prefer the look of the Defender without a snorkel, but given the cost of engine repairs if you intend to use your Defender for what it was designed for, then for me RAI is the way to go provided all ducting is sealed properly.

Combined with a Nugget pipe kit, it makes a really cool burbly noise, theres another for reason

Originally Posted by AndyG

Combined with a Nugget pipe kit, it makes a really cool burbly noise, theres another for reason

Yep I got this too! Have the Nugget kit and a Mantec metal jobbie. The induction noise is the best!... or maybe I just need to get out more

Originally Posted by 4wheeler

As others have mentioned, it depends on what you do with your Land Rover. Having the air intake on the Defender just behind the wheel instead of in front is an issue in terms of dust intake. As far as I can see the intake would suck dust in more easily than if it was located forward of the wheel behind the headlight like most other 4x4's. Sure, if following other 4x4's in close convoy it probably does not make too much difference. That's why a leave a good gap. However in slower dusty track situations in a Defender, the higher the better IMHO.

Stick your head out the window next time you have the chance...

Almost no dust in that area...

However, if it was at the front - even a gentle splash of liquid could be terminal