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Why fit a snorkel to your 4x4? |
Advantages of fitting a Snorkel to your 4x4Buy a Snorkel online at only R1,990.00 each. Go to www.4x4direct.co.za 1. Cleaner
Air - Less Dust The photograph below was taken of my Hilux's air filter before the snorkel was fitted. This was after only 10,000km of which about 3,000 was gravel road. Taking in cleaner and cooler air is certainly the biggest advantage of a snorkel.
2. Easier and Safer Water Crossings While crossing deep water you do not want your engine to die or to suck in some water. Water can cause a lot of damage to the engine when inhaled. If a snorkel has been fit correctly your vehicle (if a diesel) should theoretically be able to cross water as deep as almost roof height of the vehicle. What makes it practically not possible is that your viscous fan will be wrecked if the engine runs under water and if you have a petrol vehicle the electronics will get wet and the engine will die. But the important fact remain that you can do deep water crossings without getting water into the engine. There is a general misconception that snorkels are only for diesel vehicles. It is true that your petrol 4x4 might not make it through the water because the electrnoics will get wet. But if you have a snorkel fitted it will at least not suck upwater during the time the engine is still running. This can prevent thousands of rands of damage to your vehicle's engine. 3. Cooler Operation and Cooler looks The temperature under the bonnet is much higher than you think. With some vehicles under-bonnet temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius has been recorded (turbo diesels). You do not have to be a rocket scientist to realize that if your engine suck air from under the bonnet, it will suck in hot air. This will have a negative on the performance and reliability of you vehicle. .The snorkel sucks the air from roof level where it is much cooler. Of course a Hilux with a snorkel fitted looks much cooler than one without one. 4. Ram air effect This got nothing to do with the memory of a computer. As the vehicle travels, air is forced into the snorkel nose. Thus you get high pressure air entering the engine (known as ram air effect). During the intake phase the valves are open for a short period of time. With the high pressure air from your snorkel, more air can be forced into the combustion chamber than when the engine have to suck up all the air. This can increase your performance at higher speeds and might have a positive effect on fuel economy. You will not note the difference on low speeds. You might spot the difference when overtaking at speeds above 100Km/h 5. The Cool Factor Lets face it, a snorkel on your 4x4 does look ultra cool!
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