5 things you didn't know about 4WD SNORKELS

[@Brennomac83]

The rearward facing stainless snorkels came from the comp trucks, so when hitting water full sting it wouldn't enter intake, when in trees it wouldn't take the head off and if the car falls over they didn't break. Then it got transferred into the town cars so.....

[@cliffbooth7075]

The Ranger drivers love them. Personally I’d take an ARB or TJM plastic one any day over the stainless ones.

[@Huda88754]

@@cliffbooth7075 get what you can afford 🤷‍♂️

[@JasonR1998]

@@Huda88754or get what does the same job… 🤦‍♂️

[@goverat]

They definitely have a place, slow moving and bad air quality areas. Anywhere where there is considerable airflow away from the direction of intake will hurt them

[@mails5054]

@@Huda88754 those stainless steel snorkels are horribly ugly, my 120 dollar snorkel and prefilter works the same and wont scratch and rust, also stainless steel heat soaks/dents, it is actually worse. Never seen one in the midwest for a reason, they'll still rust, just as aluminum still corrodes lol, ask me how i know. To be fair some metal snorkels look really good on older toyotas, i dont even think they make metal snorkels for my jeep. I'm more than glad to replace some shitty ebay snorkel than be pissed I have to repaint/replace a metal one. Also you dont want energy transfered to the body, which is way more important on toyotas as they dont have a cage like a jeep. I can replace any panel/windshield frame myself, body work i cant do

[@garethmoore8593]

Hello, my name is Gareth, live in South Africa, grew up in the Eastern Cape and Transkie, was a teenager in the 70 ties!My uncle, who had a trading station in the Willowvale district, developed the "snorkel" as everyone has come to know it, because of endless vehicle trouble involving dust kicked up on gravel roads. He,uncle Ernie Smith, fitted these extensions on the vehicles! It was a winner, worked exceptionally well! A delegation from Toyota, Japan, made a trip to my uncles trading station! All the vehicles used, were Toyota! They were very impressed, promising follow a follow up, which NEVER happened! Never received a dime! All the best buddy 👍

[@nicholasstraber]

🧢

[@Shitbird3249]

Yo if you could elaborate or maybe give more info if your comfortable with it ? My man this is a story many people would like to hear ! I’m sure it’ll be Lekker

[@garethmoore8593]

Good people are taken for a ride every day, 50 years have passed and I am just grateful the World is better off! We've basically just forgotten about it! Both my uncle and my aunt have passed on, just a nice story to be told around the camp fire! Gareth

[@fookyu908]

@@garethmoore8593 cap the original snorkels were modified for jeeps and military vehicles from tanks starting in ww2 and have been supplemented for the common market like so many other things

[@dylonthedog1]

​@Fook Yu I don't know where you got that from. Those raised air intakes were probably alot different to the ones on the Toyotas (if your story is true) and not the same or used for quite the same purpose. Every idea takes inspiration from somewhere else but it was novel for use on 4x4s.

[@fatgim]

Another consideration would be air intake temperature. My underbonnet standard air intake regularly sits 8-10 degrees higher than ambient.

[@MrDangadave]

Yep, I had a SWB Prado, dust got past the filter and made its way to the crank shaft bearing, plus every where else. Catastrophic failure, the whole engine was kaput. That was one very expensive lesson, especially in the middle of the Kalahari desert.

[@Bannedone3ice]

Did you have snorkel or did your factory air box have leaks ?

[@Razza2250]

Petrol and diesel are also incompressible, just like water. The air that occupies most of the cylinder volume, however, is compressible. Replace some of that air with water and you end up with a much higher cylinder pressure on the compression stroke, which bends rods like you said. The fuel doesn't compress, its atomised into droplets and just doesn't take up much space to begin with. It's also a controlled amount, unlike water entering the intake

[@rgfromkl3594]

Should pin this comment.

[@grufelonius2014]

Correction... because diesel and petrol are atomized (aerosolized) the actually are compressible

[@moe2470]

@@grufelonius2014 100% correct.

[@missingMBR]

​​@@grufelonius2014 atomised fuel is just fuel particles with a ratio of air particles. So it's still just the air that is being compressed, not the fuel. The OP's original post didn't need a correction.

[@CheeryRhymes]

@@missingMBR if you want to be technical than water is actually compressible...

[@neilwhite8131]

a couple of points from over here in blighty, a rear facing snorkel top is a good idea if travelling through our greenlanes as I have lost two snorkel heads over the years after they got caught on tree branches. I do leave it facing backwards as our lanes are short with lots of road trips between them. If not laning for a while it goes back to facing forwards. After breaking into the air system, I always check the air tightness of the pipework and snorkel by using a haynes manual to seal off the top of the snorkel pipe ( after removing the top ) if the engine stalls then I feel happy it should do its job.

[@Crumb_Trails]

I had an AEV snorkel for dust on my 2013 Jeep JKU. I loved it. With the pre filter cap on it I could go more than twice as long without changing my air box filter. It was a great mod

[@samedoi]

Thanks for commenting with the brand. I have a 2013 JKU I have thought about putting a snorkel on. I'll look into this! Cheers!

[@c1a2t3a4p5i6l7l8a9r]

I would just change my air filter they're dirt cheap. In fact I can find one of the supermarket when I can buy six of them and it's still not the same cost as one snorkel.

[@martinfoster5163]

Great video. I've got a plastic snorkel on my Ssangyong Musso. I installed it right after I bought it as a used import from Korea. I live off-road and drive mainly off-road in Mongolia. We live in the mountains (off-road, off-trail) and have to cross 3 rivers just to get to a paved road. I'd say I drive 90% off-road by driving time. In fact, I'd guess all the serious off-road vehicles in Mongolia have snorkels, particularly Land Cruisers. River crossings are the main reason but dust can be an issue too. It's pretty important for me to have one and I'm happy with it.

[@petermills1402]

Heres the rub, last two decades up until 2021 I have utilised a Safari snorkel, in the last couple of years with the purchase of a now well modified Hilux I have elected to not use a Snorkel. The snorkel equipped vehicles have ALWAYS dirtied up the Unifilters much much more than the non snorkel vehicle. I must admit I drive most of the outback roads and tracks of Australia and am so happy now I have not spent $ on a snorkel. I simply do not drive in the dust of other vehicles or thru water more than 700-800mm deep and guess what it is cool to go around or camp up and wait until water levels drop by 24 hours. OH and by the way those snorkels are noisy bastards.

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Mmmm that was a good rub thanks mate

[@throwawaypt2throwawaypt2-xp8nx]

you measure water in millimeters?

[@MichaelF-in6qs]

On my 70 series I swapped the standard Toyota raised air intake (with all its leaks) for a relatively cheap TJM snorkel which is fully sealed and does not require any cutting of the bodywork. Rather than use the TJM supplied ram air intake (which I guess does not really have much of a ram effect) I stayed with the original Toyota cyclonic head. It was a bit fiddly to fit because of the slight mismatch in pipe diam but a piece of 100mm pvc pipe cut lengthwise serves as a filler. End result works like original equipment without the leaks.

[@AyodanDownUnder]

Great advice indeed, I recently watched a different 4wd show where one driver went fast in a water crossing sucking water down the snorkle and drowning the engine. So drive smartly when going through water :)

[@Malc664]

Yeah, he learned a hard lesson. Lucky the D-Max was easy to fix.

[@jrdrole370]

All4ad

[@Silvblade79]

Thank you for this useful info. I am just starting in my 4 wheel drive adventures and learning stuff like this helps me take care of my car and keep me out of a lot of trouble.

[@beast6able]

You can always use a Donaldson type head on the Safari type snorkel instead of the sock in dusty conditions .Easy to clean.Just empty it each day and you can see the build up on dust in the bowel.I find this more effective ,Cheers.

[@brucegibson5425]

Agree, these are best @ collecting water & dust, sometimes ends up as mud in the bowl that needs to be emptied every day. All earth work vehicles have them. A no brainer. Just ensure you put a big enough one on to suit your engine, otherwise it can choke air into your airbox. My air cleaner is spotless always.

[@barbraabsalom4531]

Very good info about the Donaldson pre cleaner , one question , is it strong & sturdy enough to handle highway speeds & remain effective or do you need to take it off & put your original ram head back on ? also if it can handle highway speeds & you have just come off a dirt track will any dust in the bowl get disturbed at speed & end up being sucked down the intake , thanks for any reply in advance.

[@otziizto4085]

I used a 6" Donaldson on a 130 land rover using a Safari, that's all there was back then. Amazed at the amount of dust settling in the filter by the end of the day.

[@aza013]

I’m only new to 4wding (6 years) but this is honestly the best advice given to new people entering the 4WD playground. It’s not all about show or water crossing! I did my research before getting my snorkel and only put it on as an insurance policy nothing more. So big thanks Ronny for putting this out there and helping the new 4WD people in making the right decision.🥃

[@putnamehereholdmadoodle]

Yes it is its for sound and show. The density of dust wouldn't change much going for 50cm more height. He has already been debunked on this. Come on rohmy snorkels are for crossing the water? That's it there may be mirrors benefits but that's just it micro. It's been proven many times.

[@amirlach]

We had a Mack 6x6 wireline truck in Russia. It had been built for the desert and had dual external air cleaners with cyclones and raised caps. I would estimate they would be at least 8 feet from the ground.

[@benjurqunov]

Donaldson Cyclone on my truck too. They even clean themself by vacuum created by a venturi in the exhaust pipe.

[@jeffreysylvester905]

I put one on my 1985 4 runner with a vortex top. Keep most dust out. Going deeper than headlights..engine fan issues. Great video, thanks.

[@whiteunicornDR659]

Love Ronny’s assessment on gear. None of this marketing BS that 4WD 24/7 constantly rams down your intake.

[@jameskiss552]

Yeah, they may advertise alot, but how do you think they manage to keep the content free for our viewing pleasure? They get paid to advertise and that's how they can keep making entertainment for us 🙄🤷🤦

[@walterhankin46]

@@jameskiss552some cant see through the adverts and need assistance in clarifying biased advice from unbiased. I personally enjoy both and from time to time have my own ignorances exposed by an unbiased perspective video such as this.

[@JayGuitars1]

Great vid Ron, just wanted to pull you up on the “Ram effect”. It doesn’t exist unless you are going REALLY fast ( like ZX 14 fast) and even then it is minimal. It’s on the wrong side of the butterfly for starters ( it would try to close the throttle under pressure) and it still has the air cleaners to deal with. “Ram Air” induction is sales speak. Thanks for the great videos.

[@JimBob-vb8oz]

And the fact the air has to bend around 120 odd degrees

[@JayGuitars1]

@@JimBob-vb8oz and think if you could make say just 3psi of boost at 80kph. Now stick your arm out the window. It’d get ripped off.

[@cliffbooth7075]

When I bought a TJM snorkel once the sales guy told me to “expect heaps more power from the Ram effect.” Yeah he lied.

[@daviddickson443]

Yea 100%. To get any ram effect you would have to be driving faster than what your car can volumetricly suck in

[@devo3243]

This. Ram air effect even on bikes doesn't start making a noticeable difference until you are way above any posted speed limit. There's a good reason they only bother putting them on track bikes

[@CurtisDrew1]

If you're going to snorkel up your air intake for water, don't forget that your rear-end, transmissions, and engine block also have breather tubes that will suck in water as soon as they go under water. So extend your breather tube on those as well. I ran mine up into the body pillars to almost head high when I'm seated in the driver's seat on my Isuzu.

[@devo3243]

Also don't forget to clean the breathers when you service the car. Seen many axle seals start leaking because of this 🤣

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

Did the same thing with festo air lines and breather filters ,as high as i could, up the pillars to the roof line and used a T fitting for transfer and gearbox to go up the B pillar, no sucking in water to worry about anymore.

[@mails5054]

all modern jeep push it all the engine bay, i put my rear diff breather to the taillight housing. The midwest america is very wet

[@CurtisDrew1]

@@mails5054 I ran mIne up in the pillars to the height of my head figuring if I can breathe so can my diffs and such.

[@CurtisDrew1]

I also built a wiring harness extension that allowed me to move my ECM from the kick panel up between the spreader bars in the top of my roll cage that I built inside the rig. 8 point cage! With the connections sealed, I can run (theoretically) in water up to my eyeballs. If, I want to go to the trouble of drying the interior out later. To date I've had it in river crossing with water halfway up the doors. It sets on 35's with a full suspension lift, so we're talking almost 4.5 feet deep. Wasn't in the water long enough for the river to get inside the cab. All bodywork vents are at window level BTY! That, was a fun trip! Ended up dragging out several friends who forgot to move their ECM out from under the drivers seat. (Wife takes a 12 volt hair dryer camping with us, so it saved the day!)

[@rebelarcher5450]

I bought a sheet of aluminium fly mesh from the hardware and cut a patch and installed it behind the screen of my snorkel head , no more bugs , leaves etc in the airbox . also handy wired in the back of the front grille to stop oil coolers and radiators getting full of bugs , small stones etc.

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

I have often thought about getting a snorkel but considering the cost and the fact that we don't do convoy travelling, it has never been and issue for us. Considering the length of time we have been driving without a snorkel without any issues, I doubt we will end up putting one on now. I have always liked Uni-Filters where you can clean the filter and reuse it on the road. They seem to keep out more dust than ordinary paper style throw away filters.

[@rognvaldurvikingsson9083]

I understand your thoughts, no issues without a snorkel for many years.........until that one time you get water into the engine. Then the costs of repair are much more than the cost of a snorkel.

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

@@rognvaldurvikingsson9083 the only time we ever got water in the engine was when we stalled in a river and it got sucked up the exhaust somehow. Engine was rough as guts for about 15 minutes until it worked its way out of the system.

[@ryanreedgibson]

To keep dust out of your intake. I purchased and installed an ARB snorkel on my Rubicon. What I didn't realize is from the factory there was a small breathing hole on the bottle. I was forging the Gila river when I killed my engine. Aside from my ARB lockers, I do not use their products anymore. Not even their air compressor.

[@k.h.4245]

great video! Imho you are explaining things best in the offroad community. Without exaggerations and drama 👍🏼

[@trevorbruntlett6279]

I have installed one on my Cherokee an have been impressed with it. Probably one of the best cold air intake set up too

[@SteveBbb-y6d]

Thats cuz you bought a jeep. Did it come with a free regular tilt tray/tow truck customer card?

[@eroffroad5438]

I have a NA 1HZ, Safari Snorkel, and I can tell you there is vacuum in the air box at 100kmh, the ram effect is minimal. I don't like socks, my 300cc dirt bike air filter is bigger than snorkel socks and it is pretty ferral after a 100km ride.

[@thfmlymn4498]

I use a Donaldson precleaner on my snorkel on my Jimny. Makes a measurable difference in how much dust and bugs enter into the engine filter.

[@patelliott8724]

I've always used plastic snorkels on my 4wds and tried the filter sock too. Never had any issues to speak of. I have heard of vehicles being written off when the stainless steel snorkels have had a big impact on trees or rolled on their sides. As the stainless steel is quite strong, it doesn't absorb the impact or crush like plastic ones. This impact is then transferred to the A pillar causing serious damage. Great informative video!

[@aleksydabrowa1114]

That is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Do you genuinely believe that if you roll a vehicle, that the impact on an A pillar by the snorkel is the reason the vehicle is being written off? 😂😂😂😂

[@nordic5490]

Good point

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

@@aleksydabrowa1114 Maybe the stainless steel snorkel is worth more than the vehicle it was installed on lol

[@outkast937]

Yeahhhh snorkel gonna crunch before the A pillar if the vehicle isnt a rust bucket. If youre rolling it hard enough to crush an A pillar, you're doin some shit you should really have a cage for

[@mails5054]

@@outkast937 a pillars are made to crush, a big diameter stainless steel snorkel is actually really strong even if the tubing is thin. That is why an axle tube's diameter is more important than tube thickness. Depends but i could see damage if the snorkel has enough thickness and diameter and its on an old toyota or jeep

[@tristanloveday5240]

John Cadogan from Auto Expert did a great video on this debunking the myths around it. It's 100% just to stop water ingress on deep water crossings that 90% won't ever encounter.

[@yeahnah773]

John completely ignores air density. And the ram air effect. John isn’t God

[@chrissteer3733]

John is a smart dude no doubting that and I watch his stuff. But he is the same bloke that says bull bars are a waste of time! Trying getting home dingo piss creek after hitting roo with out a bar.. not going to happen.

[@stevecrop6264]

@@yeahnah773 there is no ram effect and the air density arguement is BS

[@yeahnah773]

Yeah he completely forgets not everyone is a boring old 65 year old. All the tools in his shed behind him in his videos have never been used. Not every 4wd lives in the CBD of Brisbane. Some people live in Birdsville.

[@yeahnah773]

Better look up what air density is Steve. Banks engineering would not agree with you. If you have an intercooler on any of your cars, rip it out then. Because they increase air density. When air is restricted, decreases air density. I’ll find you a video to fix your ignorance

[@jaybajan]

My cheap Plastic snorkel for my N70 Toyota Hilux cost me around $110.USD from eBay back in 2020. Works great, looks great, cant complain :)

[@Malc664]

How much harsh sun does it get?

[@jaybajan]

@@Malc664 Well I do live in Barbados and 99.99% of the year is pure hot ass sun between 32c and 35c almost each day time. If you are wondering if it has started to crack or show any signs of it deteriorating. the answer is no.

[@janfourie7590]

The duckbill valve is also to release water that came past the snorkel head. The ram-type was tested and are very in-effective to remove rain from the snorkel, but the valve still clears.

[@Sh4dow682]

I got told by our mechanic that we should always keep a "pre filter/sock" on our snorkel as it also prevents a horde of bugs ending up in your airbox and again clogging your filter. Our last service they had to clean out so many bugs from the airbox so yeh we went the cartridge type pre filter.

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Solid advice...in my area, wasps and mud daubers find snorkel intakes very inviting for nest building if they're left unattended for more than a few hours. I left mine for a week and first drive when I came back I heard something rattling in the intake at idle...mud daubers had filled half the tube up with clumps of dried mud. Felt kinda bad because they prey on black widows and as far as wasps go, they're pretty chill and won't sting you. Still had to vacuum up their dead babies out of my airbox though.

[@paul-57]

For bugs I prefer a mesh screen which restricts airflow less but still keep out bugs. The foam sock is a finer dust filter.

[@aaroncombs1090]

D

[@johnfitzgerald5158]

My Ram 2500 has an AEV snorkel. There are 2 connection points that are held together with hose clamps. One is under the fender and the other in the engine compartment near the airbox. It's probably pretty water tight that way. However, i decided to have insurance by installing 4" diameter rubber plumbing couplings over the joints. As for the airbox, all drain holes have been sealed. I learned early on when i blew up a perfectly good 4.0L engine on a '97 TJ. I also have had 2 friends blow their enginess on a water crossing I had no problem traversing. If you are expecting water, a snorkel is cheap insurance.

[@miketee2444]

I had an air filter fail on my kids side X side. I was surprised by the end result. Basically a cylinder polished to a mirror finish to the extent it couldn't hold any oil film. The piston rings where about half the thickness of new ones but I think the lack of any cross hatch on cylinders was the killer. Wish I had noticed the filter had split on the bottom side.

[@devarmont87]

I had a plastic snorkel, went to stainless and swear 100% I lost 5kw Everyone told me due to atmospheric pressure it's not possible, but there were certain hills I could cruise up in 4th and lost the ability to do so. I proved it furthermore by putting 3" conduit bend on my snorkel and went for a drive, had an immediate difference on power. Uninstalled the stainless snorkel put the plastic back on and my Navi purred like a kitten and I can now climb and accelerate all the tiny hills around Brisbane beyond 4th gear I agree, it's aesthetics and sound that makes a stainless good. But I believe you do actually lose power. I also had it dyno'd before and after and the stainless install. And the tuner confirmed there was less power. I also spoke to a turbo rebuilder and he told me there's 2 factors in air induction one is air volume and the other is air speed. You need both to be adequate for your turbine. Most people will argue that the turbine only takes what it wants due to the exhaust speed, He explained in great detail that it's not about atmospheric pressure but the air speed fed to your turbo. Think of it like you drinking water through a straw, with a very short straw this process is actually quite easy, but with a snorkel you've added about 1.5m of "straw" to your turbo, now imagine you trying to suck up water through a 1.5m long straw, it's still easy but it definitely require more effort. Same with the turbo, it now has to work harder, so to overcome that, you must feed the air in, thus air speed. You need both availablity of air and the speed of that air... The rear facing stainless head loses the ability to force air in faster. In short. They're for daBoyz and not serious 4x4ers

[@andremaertens5964]

Every 90 degree bend is equivalent to 2 metres oh straight pipe , I know I used to hot up diesel engines mostly of British origins

[@microsnook3]

Ronny, take a look into the "Sy-klone" pre-cleaner. It's an American product designed for heavy equipment in really dusty/dirty environments such as waste management facilities. It spits out the particles heavier than air and pulls air from underneath, preventing water intrusion as well as bugs, etc. Nice video. Thanks

[@toughgamma]

This is the answer. The US Military uses them as well for the same reasons.

[@w.j.lansmon6691]

I run a tracked mulching machine for work and it has a sy-klone type filter as a cabin air prefilter. It works fantastic, i only have to change it about every six main engine filter changes, which are daily!

[@SteveB88]

I have the ARB Safari snorkel on a 2019 Tacoma. Now I am not a heavy duty off Roader, I’m more of your weekend warrior. But I’m pretty happy with it. I have noticed that my engine runs a little smoother now.

[@dixonbuttes6564]

This is THE best raised air intake video on the internet! Well done, Ronny! 🥇

[@jefferyyoung6836]

Add window screen mesh over intake that will stop the large items like leaves and not restrict airflow. You can leave it in place all the time.

[@ShannonHHicks]

Not to argue with anyone else's experience but after installing 3 Safari brand snorkels on our vehicles over the years, I decided to try an Ebay variety for kicks and grins. It has been on our 99 UZJ100 petrol rig for 7 years and has had no issues so far. The template was a bit off, but having installed them before I had a good idea of what needed to be done - it only took 45 min. It turned out and fit very clean. We have ripped the cap off several times bush wacking, but the snorkel as a whole has shown no signs of fatigue. The only thing I don't like as well is that it doesn't have as glossy of a finish, it's not quite a chulky finish but more of a flat. It's not a big deal for a rig that is used as a dedicated overlanding and high country vehicle. Thanks for the good content! Cheers!

[@Richo435a]

Good stuff Ronnie. I agree 100% with the pinned comment about the origin of rear facing. I would add 1 more thing and that is a rear facing will be somewhat the opposite to the ram effect of forward facing. It will create a vortex (low pressure) and will want to suck air out of the air box. It will reduce the suction from the engine. It may not be much but it will reduce the air taken in so reducing the benefit of a snorkel.

[@Bigj_kenya]

Would u advice that the rear facing works better for engine performance or the front facing one?

[@remembersixtysix]

@@Bigj_kenyathe front one

[@truter5243]

Not me running a home made pvc pipe as a snorkel 😆 😂 but it works for the farm truck. Less cleaning out my airbox

[@bobvedder2451]

I live in central alaska. Our roads aren't that dusty usually. One problem though is during heavy snow storms or freezing rain you will get a layer of hard pack snow or ice on your filter, effectively blocking your air flow.

[@janeblogs324]

Why do you think you oil your filter?

[@gregdavis3246]

I take the ram head off and fit a Donaldson pre filter when on very dusty roads, which collects a lot of before it gets to the air filter.

[@the_barefoot_trooper]

Wish this video come out before I was sold the over priced, large and in charge armax. But still would always go plastic over steel. the socks are great, used them in the desert for big convoys and they did the job, great video Ronny, graphics are spot on 🙌🏼

[@jarradblair1793]

I believe this is actually his third video on snorkels, he did almost an identical peice like 6 years ago, fairly shure he did a recap after being called out by know it all children all quoting John cadogan, he is very smart when it comes to most things vehicle related but occasionally talks out his ass, especially when it comes to overpriced 4x4 wankfactor items, (bull bars, winches, snorkels, sparewheel carriers, are all things he claims do nothing and serve no pupose) or dingo piss Creek (anywhere off the blacktop, he dosnt discriminate if he doesn't want to go there it is a shithole)

[@fel836]

Thank you Ronni great subject to talk about there is one thing you have for gotten to bring up on this subjected recovery on a tint tray to cover your in take up as the turbo spins up on the back with no lube when the engine is not running

[@mattbrown5511]

I measured the pipe diameter on my 1999 TJ and built my own snorkel (sealed unit) out of schedule 40 PVC pipe. Once fitted, I used black "Plasti-Coat" paint to make it look acceptable. As it now an older model that I use to go out into the bayous (swamps) to fish, camp, hunt, etc.) the overall appearance doesn't have to be spot on. In total, I spent around $100 USD.

[@matsinkal]

Haha that sounds full Florida man spec.

[@omnitravis]

genius

[@johnnumbat9782]

Thanks Ronny - I’ve found a good used Safari brand for my N70 diesel Hilux for $100 with all parts needed just for peace of mind and have installed one on my previous ‘02 Hilux thanks to KZbin video guides - the ‘fully sick mate’ steel rear facing ones that are so popular look awful as if someone stuck a piece of steel tubing from the local rubbish tip.

[@ae93gti]

My experience with the snorkel head backwards was significantly less dust on the sock

[@PistonShack]

Thanks Ronny! I have been looking for few day for a complete 4wd snorkel tutorial on KZbin. Today, I found your new posted video, perfect timing) Greetings from Canada!

[@tersy9862]

Excellent video one thing you didn't mention is the length of the snorkel effecting drivability. Obviously it's not a racecar but the factory airbox is engineered to work with the car. Adding a 2m drain pipe to your car's intake is going to effect this. Obviously something like a safari snorkel has some engineering behind it and the ram air will help combat this at higher speeds but going to your local exhaust shop and getting a 5inch or worse 2 stainless steel snorkels is going to have an effect on throttle response.

[@stellanmccarthy9039]

Yep the airtec snorkel i put on my fj was a dyno proven 30hp and 50nm decrease. Tested 4 times, 2 with airbox lid on and lid off twice similar results each time. He also forgets to mention a slightly dirtier filter actually filters better than new filters

[@tersy9862]

@@stellanmccarthy9039 well there is a reason F1 cars don't have snorkels 🤣

[@stellanmccarthy9039]

@@tersy9862 yep i love hearing people say they went for something thats actually to big as well, 5 inch on most cars will actually slow the velocity of the intake and do more harm than. Unless you are running something like a duramax or powerstroke a worked and boosted ls etc its pointless

[@tersy9862]

@@stellanmccarthy9039 yeah people see a built turbo V8 with a 5 inch snorkel and then want it on their bi turbo ranger. As mentioned in the video 90% of people don't even need a snorkel

[@tersy9862]

@@stellanmccarthy9039 yeah people see a built turbo V8 with a 5 inch snorkel and then want it on their bi turbo ranger. As mentioned in the video 90% of people don't even need a snorkel

[@RoyFJ65]

All excellent points and the snorkel not only protect from dust build up in the air filter as well as accidental water ingestion, it also is the only true fresh air intake system. One more point to add, under extreme dust the mushroom head works best than ram air.

[@pooroldfred]

I followed a mitsubishi through a very big puddle in my hilux double cab.....he had a snorkal...i didnt see he had a snorkal...i didnt have a snorkal....i no longer have a hilux......

[@barendterblanche5634]

Dude, I LOVE the dry humour🤣 as a South African I know it well as its a national pass time😂. But iI just thought I should let you know that your comment just made my day

[@ADayInTheLifeOfJames]

Legend Ronny; loving how far your channels come buddy! You should be proud of yourself coz we all are. 👍

[@greyreaper3453]

I honestly didn't think about the dust aspect, but it makes a lot of sense. I've been putting off the snorkel kit since I need to do a lot of electronic and cab seals before my rig will be ready for proper water crossing. Though dust is a huge problem for turbo diesels n whenever me n the boys get together we always run convoys. So after this video the snorkel kit is getting moved from the want list to the need list.

[@RealHooksy]

You don’t need a snorkel Grey. They do nothing for dust. Clean / change your air filter often and make sure it doesn’t leak

[@NikkiTheOtter]

It's truly amazing how many people don't know about the fording depth at speed vs slowly. It's why they're always shocked that my bone-stock Silverado can wade through a meter of water, in and out for 2 miles without any issue, without a snorkel. It's also why my former car, a Toyota Matrix, could happily drive in a foot of water despite the intake being low, because the intake was at the rear of the engine and at speed I could use the wake to suck air from the gap below the car, but if I stopped, I'd hydrolock.

[@ingenieriasdwight9585]

In theory the diameter of the piping should be the same or a bit bigger than the throttle on your vehicle, much bigger isn't doing anything because the engine only creates a certain amount vacuum, and less diameter is restricting the air flow. Great video by the way!

[@paul-57]

Your general point is correct although with a turbo the air through the throttle body is after the turbo so is flowing faster and under higher pressure. Usually the air box inlet, outlet and some of the other connectors between the snorkel and the turbo will be the biggest choke points though, so as you said, a big fat snorkel is still pointless.

[@ingenieriasdwight9585]

@@paul-57 yes that's completely right, actually with a turbo the stainless steel snorkel makes more sense because on the inside there are not big changes in diameter or shape which helps a lot in maintaining a good consistent pressure and flow of air, plus the bigger air box and filter, that way the turbo can suck the exact amount of air needed without lag

[@ingenieriasdwight9585]

@Peter smith yes that's right, distance makes resistance due to elasticity, making a consistent cone effect also works for this, as you said as long as it respects the measurements of the air box inlet

[@ThatDepressionGuy]

Done a lot of 4wd and met a lot of others who have as well and 2 things I have learnt, dust in the airbox creates increased pressure in the engine which draws oil higher this increases the amount off oil burn and if you have a petrol engine you may aswell forget a snorkel for water crossing as water will get into the electricals and kill the engine anyway

[@TheJanope13]

I think understanding how filters work is very beneficial in making any snorkel choices. a filter will not lose efficiency (the amount of particles it traps) as it gets full. In fact, it actually gets more efficient as the gaps within the filter element are effectively smaller as particles lodge together reducing the opening size hence the reduce flow rate. if your intake system is properly sealed to the filter, it should not allow dust to get past the filter even if its full. Cyclonic filters found in golf tees and Donaldson pre filters are the best way about it. Sticking a flimsy sock in front of your ram head will reduce the flow rate as all filters do, even more so when it gets clogged whilst providing minimal filtering. do you need full flow rate i.e. pedal to the metal and full HP when cruising down a dusty road? Cyclonic filters use inertia/centrifuge to fling particles outwards without having a second filter media to reduce the flow rate.Yes, you will induce some restriction due to the air path but minimal compared to cyclonic action. This is why vacuum cleaners have been using cylonic action as the first filtration stage for decades. The same system can be found on a dust extraction on wood working setups and even mobile setups such as the festool cyclones. In my opinion, sealing up the duck bill in the airbox is the correct way to do it. if you have a 4.5L engine spinning at 2000 rpm, at 14psi boost you can do the math on the amount of air is flowing through that. the small of rain that makes it in as your driving through torrential rain will evaporate before it makes it into your cylinders. for me the risk of a duck bill failing is just not worth it especially because of the location of it in my car requires you to remove the air box. aint nobody got time for that.

[@MatthewThomas-l1h]

Ronny, I watch all of your videos. Keep up the good work because everything you say makes good sense...!! Two thumbs up...!!!

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

I’ve just bought a raised intake with a cyclonic head purely because I’m heading to Morocco ( I live in Europe) next month and then a big Africa trip next year, yes there will be some river crossings, but I bought it as a dust pre filter.

[@brucegibson5425]

No brainer, as all earth works vehicles use Donaldson Cyclone filters. Just make sure its large enough for your motor

[@karloz83]

I had a tjm and a genuine Nissan one on a couple of cars ranger bt50 f250 always got full of dirt and bugs and crap in the filter front facing nilly drowned a patrol in the rain with a front facing Nissan snorkel. Then went to a stainless 4” rear facing. No bugs hardly any dust better for filter service intervals. Thanks for the video. Also the plastic in the heat with a sock pre filter over the ram head doesn’t like a lot more boost they suck the plastics in especially if a bit of dust / mud clogging the pre filter.

[@fastdevil7777]

Good stuff Ronny! I researched snorkels before adding one, easy way to understand their purpose. My decision was based on not breathing in dust and the vehicle's actual wading depth

[@SteveJud43]

Most people seem to think they slap a snorkel on and they can go balls deep in the water and they ignore their vented transmissions, etc. Not a good day.

[@azazeldeath]

Thank you for this. Ages ago I had to write a huge post on reddit and also make a video about this as someone was having trouble understand it. I'm glad you done a video on it as mine wasn't great and will never reach the same amount of people.

[@JimBob-vb8oz]

Would like to see a collab with you and John Cadogan as I think he debunked a lot of these @benefits”.

[@russman109]

One thing you didn’t mention about rear facing snorkels: Here in Washington State, many of our trails are EXTREMELY tight. Lots of tight squeezes through the trees. I have chronically snapped my air ram off by clipping a tree. Eventually I said screw it, going rear facing with no air ram, and am just using a 90 degree black PVC sewer tubing. It’s waaaaay stronger than the thin walled plastic ARB air ram. I have also noticed zero power losses. The air ram looks cool, but in my experience it was a large thing hanging outside the vehicle’s width to be snapped off.

[@petermillecam6087]

What about a cyclone filter?

[@tgfcujhb7583]

👍👍

[@JimBob-vb8oz]

Hi Clone? A mate put 6 on and actually made fuel

[@EvanMoon]

Centrifuge

[@13ZONEZERO]

I run a cyclone pre cleaner in the north eastern United States. Have been for over a decade it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

[@Bdavk]

Hi clone halved my fuel economy and I gain 40hp

[@DiustheZ]

Just saw a video today of someone that had mud inside their engine block because they didn't bung their air box and had taken out the wheel liner for large tyres. Mud was all through the airbox and air pipes into the cylinders. They managed to change the filter though before taking the engine in for "Warranty issues"

[@Swwa89]

My ebay snorkel on my patrol is identical to a safari and made good power with a tune and stock airbox!!! I absolutely hate stainless ones and they are bloody everywhere these days alot of people are even doing it as a first mod god they are ugly!!!!

[@cliffbooth7075]

Whenever I see stainless snorkels on a 4wd, I immediately think that car will never go anywhere that would require the use of a snorkel. It’s a first cab of the rank bogan accessory that one for newbies to off-roading.

[@ThemTokTV]

Great advice...I had to go back a few times because the first time I was amazed by the graphic. Good work.

[@POPPASHANGO]

I have to admit I run my snorkle running backwards in the winter. I had it forward one winter and it was that sticky snow. When I got to my destination there was enough snow on the grill to make a snowball. Also I took the grill off and tied a mesh screen to the inside of it and reinstalled the grill. I was waiting for my wife in a parking lot years before I even had my FJ. There was a guy walking to his car that was next to a Tacoma with a snorkel. The prick out his cigarette butt in the snorkle when he walked passed it. I remembered that when I purchased my snorkel.

[@MrGoMario]

Having said all that - I find it easier to stop the vehicle, clean the filter in the air box and drive on . At the end of the day, the 1m or so height difference does not matter much. Dust is everywhere. Snorkel or no snorkel. Driving behind another vehicle on a really dusty road, dust will get into your airbox. After all this years, I've come to realise - installing a snorkel does improve the looks of my 4x4 more than anything else...

[@tangledline]

Bravo on educating alot of mall cruisers..hehe. I love to see 2WD 4 Runners with this setup. Awesome video!

[@BugattiveyronO1]

Good video but wrong about the forward gooseneck drawing it water. The whole point of the gooseneck is to lift the intake above the wall of water going up the windscreen. Snorkel that is laying against the body like most custom stainless snorkels can draw more water. Im not talking about a splash of water im talking about a wave that can go up the bonnet and over the windscreen, where the gooseneck is beneficial

[@martywilson-nolen8023]

loved the video! I just purchase an Injen Snorkel for the Injen Evo Intake I already have on my 2017 jku rubicon. I'm looking forward to the dusty mountain roads ( I live in the Bitteroot Valley, Montana) Thank you for explaining things. Cheers!

[@RoyFJ65]

Also snorkel is true cold air intake. For wading in water, rerouting diff breather is a must as well as sealing airbox. For extreme dust I have had good result with mushroom heads and also in torrential rain.

[@matthalpin1981]

11:37 - I had to watch this shot multiple times. Looks amazing. I guess those ripples are just from running the hand over the pipe's ridges.

[@Bananas1973]

So trippy.

[@steinjohansen3142]

I think there´s a lot of moist/dust-issues with raised air intakes most people aren´t aware of. "4X4 Australia" tested a LC 300 with OEM raised air intake in heavy rain, and the air filter was soaked! "LR time" discovered a significant increase in fuel consumption by faceing the intake forward vs bachward in high speeds. Seikel offers snorkel to some VW models, and they pin point that the intake have to be faceing backwards to keep the warranty. MB G-class doesn´t offer any, MB Unimog have one w/cyclone filter If you look at Dakar cars, non of them have forward faceing air intakes. These teams use a lot of money in research, if it was beneficial in any way to have it forward faecing,- don´t you think they would?

[@davidmcc3492]

Something also worth considering is where the factory air pickup is. More and more cars collect air over the radiator Cowell which isn’t ideal if you go through a medium water crossing it will just flow water from over front of car as it pushes water into air box. Im a big fan of snorkel. Especially sealed. Has saved my bacon… well kind of. Still wrote the car off from water ingress. But it drove me and the family home safely!

[@keithcunningham2254]

Water (liquid water) does not compress as easily (does not compress nearly at all) as an air/fuel mixture. Liquid water can damage an engine (catastrophically) via hydro-lock.

[@explore_off_road]

This is a good one. Constantly asked of my Snorkel and half ass explain. Mine is rear facing, also because the trees keep turning it around.... rather then them destroying the front screen, I turned it around. The trees want it on backwards, so I put it on backwards.

[@danielm6049]

A question I'm curious about is how do they do in icy weather? I live in southern Illinois and we get all kinds of weather. A running joke in the area say that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. While we don't have a lot of dirt roads anymore, the dust clicked up by harvesters in the fall can be pretty bad and in the spring we can get some pretty bad flooding on major roads... And I think a snorkel on my 05 Tahoe would look pretty good.

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

If you are traveling down the road at any speed with a forward facing snorkel, it will catch anything that is in the air and funnel it down to the filter and potentially the engine. Dirt, bugs, small rocks, leaves, grass, etcetera. With a rearward facing snorkel, all of that stuff and its momentum is far more likely to speed past the snorkel and enable it to get cleaner air for the engine and make your filter last longer.

[@rasta77-x7o]

My Subwoofer just woke the Neighbours, gotta love Ronny's backing tracks lol.

[@Ronny_Dahl]

Classic

[@francoisehollender_franeuro]

Thanks Ronny, this is certainly the ultimate video on snorkels! Well done!

[@mauricevanderveen5221]

Another thing to take into account is facing your snorkel backwards when driving in snow. I once stalled my engine while driving in snow on the highway because of snow building up in the top part of my snorkel

[@johnny_w]

Great video , thanks ! 👍 I had trouble with lots of insects / bugs coming in the forward facing TJM Airtech snorkel on my 3500 V6 Pajero. I put a piece of pantyhose over the inlet opening, and hold it in place with rubber bands cut from a motorcycle innertube. It works fine, and costs no money 😉

[@iamchaunceman]

When I was a young kid we would open up our air box and out a panty hose for the cold air intake sound. Usually on some cheap old civic. One day it got sucked in, funny memory popped up when I read about the panty hose. Clever in your situation!

[@arronjohnston742]

thanks Ronny, been watching you for a while but only just got my first 4x4 a week ago, your videos help remind "disco balls" aren't needed 🤣...........👍👍👍

[@RealHooksy]

You don’t need a snorkel Arron. They are just another way for people to take your money. Spend it on diesel and beer instead.

[@leftcoastoverland8750]

Ok! Good to know about that factory raised intake on the 70 series being not water tight! Thanks, For that!

[@mjhmech4903]

A few in the Pilbara have discovered this the hard way recently

[@RedAppleApe]

You definitely have to seal them by yourself. My 200 came back in 2008 with the factory snorkel in the trunk. When I buyed the car from my friend i decided to install him. Sealed up everything (oh the putside part of my snorkel is one piece btw) and already tested it. It is tight but disassemble will be pita

[@zombiesqirrelracing7708]

talking about ram air: the gain of power is linear to the preasure. the aerodynamics is square. so, you might gain some power, but you would need much more to come over the lak of air resistance. and whats more important than the hight of the air intake is the hight of the alternator and the door. the snorkel is basically for cleaner air on dusty roads. and don't forget about the evap of axles and gearbox. they need a lift

[@gordonwedman3179]

Filters actually become more efficient as they plug up. Fewer pores for particles to get through. Applies to your oil filter as well. I once drove through a swarm of grasshoppers. I can just imagine how many a forward facing snorkel would catch.

[@RealHooksy]

😂

[@Maybe-You-Know-Me-Not]

Made my own snorkel because the engine is Toyota and the body is Daihatsu, making airbox too. Good video I would have stressed the need for extra waterproofing beyond a snorkel Difs, electric, you did mention them though. I hadn’t thought of the bung hole , I’ll be adding that. I used PVC pipe and a heatgun it looks factory and is one piece to the fender wall it was like a functional art project I’m excited to explore further in confidence. I’m in Alaska

[@Maybe-You-Know-Me-Not]

I’ve made successful ones for other rigs I owned.

[@DiscoDuck140]

The only time I have my snorkel head on backwards is when it snows. Here in the uk we don’t get much snow. But once I was driving in snow for about an hour at 60mph and noticed the car getting really laggy and no power. I stopped at the side of the road and my snorkel head had completely filled with snow😂 I had to clean it then I turned. Around and continued on😂 Might be worth a mention although I know it only snows in a couple parts of Australia 🤔

[@Buffy-88]

Excellent presentation 👏 finally someone explained in plain English great show 👏

[@GarretKrampe]

at 1000m and 30 c what is the pressure difference in a 15cm x 10cm (150cm^2) forward facing air scoop make tabulate from 30 to 120 km/h To calculate the pressure difference in a forward-facing air scoop, we can use the Bernoulli's principle which states that an increase in the speed of a fluid (in this case, air) occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy. Assuming that the air is an ideal gas, we can use the following formula to calculate the pressure difference: ΔP = ½ * ρ * V^2 * (C_d * A) where: ΔP = Pressure difference ρ = Density of air at 1000m and 30°C (approx. 0.9584 kg/m^3) V = Velocity of air C_d = Coefficient of drag (assumed to be 0.7 for a forward-facing air scoop) A = Area of the air scoop (150 cm^2 converted to m^2 is 0.015 m^2) To tabulate the pressure difference from 30 to 120 km/h, we need to calculate the velocity of air for each speed and then use the formula above to calculate the corresponding pressure difference. Here is a table of the results: Speed (km/h) Velocity (m/s) Pressure Difference (Pa) 30 8.33 18.6 40 11.1 33.1 50 13.9 51.9 60 16.7 74.8 70 19.4 102.0 80 22.2 133.4 90 25.0 169.0 100 27.8 208.9 110 30.6 253.0 120 33.3 301.4 Note that the velocity is converted from km/h to m/s, and the pressure difference is given in Pascals (Pa).

[@anthonywarren3656]

Really useful and valuable video. Thanks for doing. I learned a lot watching this. Good on ya!

[@teapartyassassintjm6247]

One thing overlooked on Staino snorkels is if the welds inside are coated to prevent to welds holding moisture leading to premature wear even though it's stainless seen a few damaged from long term corrosion.

[@danielthornton3277]

Stainless snorkels are tig welded with stainless filler rod, and usually back purged.... they shouldn't rust if it's done right.

[@SuperSpreeGaming]

Idk about all that in the beginning. I’ve ran a snorkel and a pipe from my front bumper fog light and the results were about the same. After about 5k miles I saw about the same amount of dirt. Obviously with the snorkel you get the option for driving through a river but for my application the bumper intake works great

[@jeffd1467]

Regarding dust... You're right that forward and rear facing will be equally as effective with dust at low speeds, but wrong at higher speeds. A rear facing inlet will not be subject to high speed air forcing the dust in. A rear facing inlet will allow the pre-filter to do its job without being subject to high speed air. Just imagine standing in a dust storm. You turn your back to the wind to stop the dusty air from being rammed into your lungs. Facing away gives you a chance to use a pre-filter (shirt, scarf) to actually collect dust as you breathe. Face the wind and the dust will be forced right through your shirt or whatever. If I were driving in dust at any kind of cruising speed, I would want the inlet facing backwards. But, it's all for not if there is no pre-filter installed.

[@thomasroyal2772]

I wish I could find a ready fit snorkel hear in the states for my 1989 Trooper RS. No real dust problems here where I live but definitely water. Good video. Keep it up

[@4x4maximus]

I run prefilter always lol but not for reason you said. Airbox filling with leafs, flowers and spiders when bushbashing and pesky mud wasps building nest in there lol all learnt from experience lol I replaced my bung with a jetski one way valve. Let's water drain out but not in