Thread: to snorkle or not to snorkle?

I really think you will get no performance increase atall with a snorkle. Probably a slight reduction if anything.

IMO the Ram air effect is absoloute nonsense at road speeds, and would be more than counteracted by the extra length of pipework the air has to go down.

Some motorbikes run Ram-air type intakes and I think even they dont get any benefit until they are doing fairly high speeds, and it their cases the inlet tract would be very short and direct. Snorkles arent either.

My TD5 was definetley slower with a Safari Snorkle.

For water and probably dust however very much worthwhile.

Pete.

the '87 Kawasaki ZXR750 was the first production bike to have ram air tubes fitted under the rear vision mirrors and into the airbox, and since then just about every performance bike from then on has adopted the idea. The idea is to create a positive air pressure in the airbox so that when the intake valve opens and the piston travells down increasing cylinder volume the positive air pressure allows a slight increase in air volume to enter the cylinder than would be the case with negative pressure. This is the idea behind superchargers and turbo's except it relies on the vehicle passing through the air. Performance increases depends on air temp, density, air speed and direction. On a motorbike you could measure the the difference between a static run on a dyno with no air pressure and real life timing conditions using force meters and timing calculations on road. In your 4wd I doubt you would notice the difference that much but it would be of benifit if only slightly. Similar to the difference between a dirty and clean air filter. It is about having more available air to enter the chamber.

Interesting thread.

I have been thinking of fitting a snorkel for a while and have been ding a little bit of research myself.

Yep, there is some merit re the dust and water thing (more water than dust though). I read in an earlier reply that someone mentioned the areo dynamics of the window/pillar/bonnet issue.

Now, i don't think that Landys are the most wind friendly design around, however, if you are looking to fit a snorkel purely for performance value of say 3 or 5% (fuel eco and performance) then is it probable that this gain would be cancelled out due to the loss of the areo dynamic ability. Just look at the water that runs off that area when driving in the rain ..(pause for thought) ... hhmmmm.

Col COLEMAN, you mentioned a pre cleaner, what is this please (to lazy to google it) does it work and serve its purpose .....

I'm now leaning more towards not fitting a snorkel due to the fact that some gains will be cancelled out due to other factors. Although i agree that it may assist in the health of my engine long term and I guess that if you are a hard core 4 wheeling dude (ie - deep water crossing and bull dust driving) then a snorkel is probably not a bad idea .... Don't know much ....

Not much dust and water at the polo anyway (spoken in a clipped british accent) so my idiot mates tell me from their COMMONdores

Hucksta

In my case my defender has the aerodynamics of a shoebox so it doesn't matter. In saying that the airtec is much more streamlined than the safari. A pre cleaner is a bowl that you fit to the top of the snorkel that removes most of the coarse dirt before the air travels down to your standard air filter. come in 6 and 10 inch diameters and worth every cent. On a long dusty trip you can see how much crap it saves your main filter from having to deal with, extending its life and saving you heaps. You just lift the lid, empty the bowl and stick it back on. easy peasy

Snorkels make water crossings a lot less scary and the snorkel intake is usually above the worst of the dust cloud.

BUT: the main reason to have a snorkel is that other 4WD owners take you more seriously. I know I am going to suffer from an inferiority complex now I drive a RRS (without a snorkel).I'm thinking of getting a snorkel just so Defender owners will wave.

Plus it is a great reason to cut a great big hole in your FENDER!

If you like to drive with the windows down a lot (or your partner does on her side....) Another thing to consider in a diesel is it will make intake noise a LOT more noticeable, I don't mind it but the other half has complained under accelaration (these things are relative!) it is noiser

Having now been very happy it is there (due to unexpected deep water crossings) I wouldn't be without one now... feel sooo much better driving through flood waters or creeks knowing it is there

Interesting thread. I have always been of the view that the principal advantage of a snorkel is to reduce the dust intake. It is worth noting that almost all tractors acquired high level air intakes by about 1920, purely from experience, and all were equipped with air cleaners at a time when this was unusual if not unheard of for road vehicles (and remember few roads were sealed then).

In my case I consider a snorkel would be useful - my engine bay is usually deeply covered in dust, but the air cleaner seems to be very effective and the dump valve removes most of the dust. The down side is that it would be on the driver's side, effectively widening the A-pillar, and increasing noise, as well as increasing intake drag and aerodynamic drag. The only real advantage would be longer periods between servicing the air cleaner.

Very few owners actually drive in water deep enough to make a snorkel necessary - and to do so you are way beyond a depth the manufacturer countenances (for example on my 110 they say no more than about two feet depth, which is no threat to the air intake just below the top of the mudguard about 20" higher). I have actually driven through water above the top of the mudguard without any getting in the intake, but would not want to do so for any distance.

John

Does anyone have an explanation for the phenomenum (sp?) that makes you want to turn the wipers on when the water is nearly half way up the windscreen????