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The airflow snorkels are made for our Tacomas unlike the safaris! Easy install and no hokey plumbing.

 

My mistake.

 

The Safari's fit but you need a special template, extra cutting, and home-made plumbing.

 

It's definitely not straight forward. When I put mine on it took several attempts to get everything to fit right under the fender. However, IMHO it looks much better than the airflow.

 

So what is your guy's reasons for getting a snorkel? I've yet to see anybody take their rig for a deep enough swim to justify needing one.

Cleaner air?

 

Their actual use is for dusty conditions, the whole water crossing is just a bonus in an emergency. I want a snorkel but I never plan to go that deep into water. I completely covered my filter in dirt in a month of being in New Mexico trail riding.

 

If it's really really dusty, wouldn't the snorkel suck in the dust anyways?

 

Depends, it'll be cleaner than where the stock air box is no matter what though. Plus you can buy pre-filters for the snorkel.

 

Because they look awesome

 

This too haha

 

Yeah. I've wanted to get one because I always have to clean a shit load of sand out of my air intake after a trip out to the dunes, but it might be better to just cut the end of the intake off inside the engine bay and though a sock over it. I think I get all my sand from the passenger front tire throwing it up there...

A snorkel would help with that, but shit not worth the $500....

 

I want to get one, and run the deck plate mod for daily driving. Snorkel for trail riding.

My only concern is when fitting 35's. Not sure how the tubing in the fender coincides with the snorkel through the fender...

 

I had a snorkel on my old FJ40 and I used it for water crossings. Several times with water over the hood, that was on a truck 5" of lift and on 37's so it was pretty deep stuff. I gotta tell ya, some of those crossings were pretty sketchy. And if you play like that you have to spend the time to waterproof all the other crap like electricals.


Fun crossing from Kane Creek. This truck is lifted 6" and on 37's. so that water is easily 4' deep.



I have since stopped looking for deep water and frankly I avoid it unless I have to cross it. For me the primary use of my snorkel is most definitely dust. One on of our long overland trips a couple years ago we covered over 1000 miles of dirt roads over a few days. Everyone in the group except one had a snorkel. The guy without the snorkel had to clean out his air filter 3 times because it was so clogged up. A snorkel makes a huge difference IMO by bringing cleaner/cooler air into the motor. Like PCBuilder said, the increased fording depth is a plus. I look at a snorkel as cheap insurance. If you install a high quality one correctly the ~$300 investment is a pretty inexpensive way to avoid several thousand dollars of repair if you ever hydrolock your motor. I've seen guys hydrolock in a foot of water that was barely up to their hubs. Blasting through water can splash water into all kinds of places and one little fluke that gets water into your intake system can ruin your day and your wallet.

 

Haha awesome explanation!

 

while I've waterproofed other components and seal the snorkel connection for use in actualy water crossings, mine is primarily for dust as well. I only get water of ther hood a couple of times a year, and even then, unless I stopped, I probably wouldn't be at risk of taking water without a snorkel.

Being mainly for dust though, I also put a prefilter on when I wheel. that way, any dust that does still get in, doesn't make it to the actual filter. just have to pull the prefilter off at the end f the trip, and it's like you never when off the pavement

 

Yeah I do my best to avoid water as much as possible! Far too many electronics in modern vehicles... I'll go through stuff over my hubs if I have to but I take it very slow and carefully.

 

I just threw out a number since there is a range of prices for what you can get. A quality name brand like a Safari Snorkel will run you over $400. Some people build their own for cheap. The unique feature about a safari snorkel is the standard inlet that drives water particles to the outside of the inlet and out.

the rest of the design is just a sealed tube to the intake system. I built my own snorkel on my old '85 truck but used the Safari head for the water separation. It was a MUCH cheaper way to go but you don't get the purpose built design that is a clean fit to your specific truck.



A pre-filter would take it one step further with added protection.

 

There are a myriad of reasons for a snorkel. Cleaner air is one, and another is for water. You don't have to be in very deep water to end up drawing water into the airbox. Many times a tire can start to spin enough water into the fender well to get drawn into the intake of the airbox. Depending on the type of wheeling you do, a snorkel can save you from a hydrolock. As an overlander type of truck, you don't always know when or if you will encounter a deep enough water crossing. It is like carrying spare parts. You may never need that extra tie rod or extra hub, but it is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

One of my customers has his truck in my shop and has the snorkel, and is running 35s. He has no issues at all with clearance. The snorkel pipes fit nice and tight against the inside edge of the cab.

 

I clipped out the important part so I could ask this. Forgive me if I am missing something, but you mention propane bottles freezing, I am at a loss. Propane won't freeze until something around -180F. I am curious why you mention it with the smaller 20lb bottles. My shop has gotten below 20, and I have been on many camping trips where it was well below that temperature, and our tanks never froze. We did have to turn up the valve on the heater more because of the slightly lower pressure, but I have ran 20lb bottles with heaters in temperatures as low as 0F. Am I missing something here?

 

Oh I think I know why. Actually that makes sense. It got above freezing and then went below freezing so I'm guessing it was because the ice. They don't salt roads up here they put sand down. Or because of the 60-70 mph wind.