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Alongside a decent bar, lift, lights and tyres, the snorkel would have to be one of the first modifications 4WDers make when setting up their vehicle.
A niggling debate that occasionally pops up amongst the 4×4 community is ‘do snorkels really help increase performance and improve fuel economy?’. We jumped onto the topic to clear the air.
The right investment
Think of the snorkel as long-term insurance. It’s most commonly fitted to a 4WD to protect the engine and owners’ life-savings. The snorkel allows vehicles to pass deep water crossings like rivers and creeks without water or anything contaminated getting sucked up and finding its way into the engine.
However, the snorkel also helps drivers gain a few extra benefits that are usually overlooked-improved fuel economy and engine performance.
A little more oomph for your dollar
Okay, we’ll try not to get too technical here. A factory air intake usually resides under the front guard or under the bonnet. By installing a snorkel, you’re simply eliminating most hot air and impurities from entering your air induction system. Keep in mind that a vehicle with a front grille air intake is begging for a snorkel upgrade before driving through any sort of deep water crossing.
A well-designed snorkel brings in the cooler air at the windscreen and roof level through what is called a Ram or Vortex head. The head of the snorkel helps separate heavy particles of dust and water. They are then removed through the snorkel’s filtration system. The cleaner air is then rushed through the body of the snorkel and towards the air induction system of the vehicle. This is where the magic happens. Well, sort of.
When the air is cooler (and cleaner), it contains more oxygen. The more cooler air and oxygen that run through the air induction system, the more ‘good air’ the engine management system (EMS) allocates to the engine.
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This essentially allows for more efficient combustion and how well the fuel is burned-increasing performance, torque and fuel efficiency.
But there’s more to it
Installing a snorkel doesn’t mean massive numbers and less time at the pump. For example, a naturally aspirated engine (non-turbo or supercharged) cannot take in more air than what is needed for fuel combustion. You’ll need to combine the snorkel with the right programming through an EMS, and a turbocharger or supercharger (standard on some 4WDs) to force even more air in, therefore increasing fuel efficiency and power output.
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Does changing the direction of the snorkel head help? Some drivers believe it can affect the performance of the vehicle, especially when driving through heavy dust. But remember, installing a snorkel is all about elevating your air intake and improving air quality. Every part of your air intake system contributes to a better-performing engine.
There are plenty more ways to increase numbers and fuel efficiency through quality aftermarket parts and tuning. For example, removing the restrictive factory exhaust and adding a custom one is a good starting point. You might also want to look at a custom remap or ECU upgrade, and a larger intercooler if your vehicle is running a turbo.
It’s settled. Snorkels help (a little).
If you were looking to break the next land speed record with just a snorkel, we’re sorry to disappoint you. But facts are facts. Snorkels do help a little in that department and we hope we provided you with enough firepower to kick off the next campfire debate.
Want to learn more about snorkels? Check out the Safari Armax and V-Spec range.
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I posted this very same comment in Disqus; The whole point of installing a snorkel is to do water crossings ya muppets. It has nothing to do with improved air flow. In dusty situations you just wrap it with pantyhose, an unmodified car will just suck the dust straight through the guard, where they are mounted standard, anyway.
There is no evidence notr does any company claim that they improve air flow., without some sort of OBC remap.
How can such a supposedly reputable 4wd media outlet put such an article up. That sounded like nothing more than somethibg the marketing dept at Safari was asked to put forwards.
Stop water ingress – yes, and that’s where is stops. The rest of these ‘reported benefits would barely show up on a dyno. Who would spend $500 on a snorkel then $1800 on a dyno session for almost no measurable improvement?
I measured the air temp today at bonnet height and snorkle height- weirdly enough it was the same…. my sheer astonishment when it was not cooler…..
The heat of the black ppe plastic that is my snorkle tube gets rather hot in the sun so any of this apparently magic cool air would get warm upon entering. I can imagine a highly polished stainless piece gets rather warm to touch after time in the sun.
Ever open the bonnet after a drive (especially towing or 4wding). Everything id HOT. All those air intake pipes and the air cleaner box are hot – usually about the same as your radiator so its not like the 30C air entering the snorkel head is still 30C when it is directed into the turbo or throttle body.
You get cold air intake temps in winter. That’s it, and the computer can compensate for air temp and air density all on its own.
Did fitting a snorkel help those Toyota’s with dusting issues, with access to all that clean air up there at roof line?
The backward facing is proven to reduce performance but increase w#&k factor by a significant margin so depends what your after.
Do some journalism, some actual testing and get some data to generate a real report.
‘It’s settled’ you say. How? You provided NO proof, rather just an opinion, and I can get one of those from any of my mates. Next time you want to publish an article that ‘settles’ the debate provide some scientific evidence to back it up.
My std air-intake was on the back of the truck cab, Isuzu NPS300. Fitted a 5″ snorkel asap after purchasing the new truck. For work purposes it didn’t extend higher than the cab. For touring I extend the snorkel 200mm above the cab. Facing the snorkel forward, gained up to 2L/100 better fuel economy while highway cruising due to the forced air. First time out, I already felt the benefit at 60kph.
I see a lot of nice SS snorkels facing backward. That will help for cleaner air BUT has the opposite effect too forcing the air at highway speeds..
It seems that only concentrating on the snorkel itself is only one part of an upgrade. Very few times have I seen mention of such things as raising your diff breather etc. A novice who just throws on the snorkel and goes swimming will end up in expensive repairs.
Everything you said is true with the exception of the claim that there is little gain in fuel consumption. I have a 2003 UZJ100R GXL Landcruiser that I use to tow a 2500kG Golf M3 Linwood Caravan. I had done a Low restriction exhaust (no Extractors) before a trip (Brisbane-Port Augusta-Stuart Hwy-Mt Isa-Brisbane) achieving 24.5L/100km overall. With no other mods I installed a Safari Snorkel achieving 22L/11km in a trip Brisbane-Mt Isa-Darwin and return. (11.3% reduction in fuel used) The savings for the Darwin trip paid for the Snorkel and installation in one trip, so there are significant savings to be had with minimal cost.
There are several holes in this piece, or maybe it is just poorly-explained. For starters “When the air is cooler (and cleaner), it contains more oxygen.” Actually, the air contains the same percentage oxygen, but the cooler it is, the denser it is, meaning you can get more air in a given volume (leaving aside compressors like turbos).
“The more cooler air and oxygen that run through the air induction system, the more ‘good air’ the engine management system (EMS) allocates to the engine.” This sentence makes no sense at all. Perhaps you meant “as long as there’s enough fuel to maintain the right mixture (fuel:air ratio) for efficient combustion, the more air you can get into the engine the more power it can make.” This is of course the principle behind turbos and superchargers, as well as ram-air induction systems, porting and polishing etc. Internal combustion engines are basically just pumps, and the more air and fuel you can get in (and exhaust) the more power they can make.
Similarly “a naturally aspirated engine (non-turbo or supercharged) cannot take in more air than what is needed for fuel combustion.” is also incorrect. A NA engine can indeed take in more air than is required for fuel combustion. If the fuel supply is inadequate to the amount of air going in the motor will run lean. That is why, if you push more air in, whether by a ram effect or a compressor (turbo or supercharger) you are going to need to supply enough fuel to the combustion chamber to maintain an efficient fuel:air ratio.
It might also be worth pointing out that the harmonics of the snorkel can affect the air supply to the engine. Tuned-length intakes are not a new idea, to increase air pressure at the intake, but equally the harmonics can work against you. Snorkels typically do not appear to be designed to take this, nor in most cases ram, into effect, however.