1. Cleaner Air – Less Dust
Dust and sand particles are heavier than air. Thus at roof level you will find less dust in the air than at engine level and under the bonnet. The Snorkel draws air from roof level. If you look under the bonnet after a couple of kilometers of driving in dust you will find a lot of dust in the engine compartment. The relatively cleaner air will help extend air filter effectiveness, therefore reducing wear of vital components and leading to extended engine life and reliability.

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 4×4 might not make it through the water because the electronics will get wet. But if you have a snorkel fitted it will at least not suck up water 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 4×4 does look ultra cool!