New PRO - Desert Air Intake or No?

I think it looks stupid. Kinda a gimmick.

 

making the fake hood skewp real would be a better choice.

 

Even on the Voodoo blue which is an amazing color, the intake think looks horrible in person. Seen it and nearly vomited.

The only thing saving the truck is that it was a Voodoo blue and that it was a manual!

 

I travel on dusty country roads throughout the summer. I wouldn’t mind one personally. I actually like the look.

 

Agreed. If Toyota wanted to build things into the cost in the name of capability, a front locker would have made sense. Or they could have come to TW to see what people are buying. The ZR2 Bison tried to copy aftermarket consumer tastes and preferences.

 

Most likely because they consulted with aftermarket off-road manufacturers. Toyota is content to ignore the people who might actually know what the community wants.

 

Even a better set of tires would have been a much better choice than the Snorkel

 

That would be all those OR guys who want the scoops us Sport AC owners never wanted. I'd trade it for a locker in a second. Just another Toyota Corp. not understanding what the USA buyer wants.

 

There's a long line (literally) of OR owners who would gladly swap hoods with you. They'll even add cash to go toward your locker.

 

I don’t believe it is a snorkel for water, dust only..desert running! Would need to change it out probably. May want to check the rear diff and see if it has changed. May still have to do a diff breather mod if going to run it through water regularly..

 

I really believe Toyota screwed up with this snorkel. They could have done much better.

A. It’s for dust only.
B. It’s the worst looking snorkel I’ve seen, production or aftermarket.

They could have done something else that would have been much more effective for the buyer. It just comes off as a gimmick really.

Figure out a way to get an additional 25-40 hp out of the motor and they’d have something going. They need to do more to differentiate the Pro from the standard OR.

Yes the suspension and added lift is nice but I’d need more before shelling out the additional cash wanted for the Pro. The 2019 Pro just doesn’t do it for me.

I’m hoping by 2021 they make some changes that make a difference. I’m planning to trade in at that point. Time will tell.

 

It’s all personal preference, but I wouldn’t own a truck with one. To me it’s the equivalent of a giant spoiler on the back of a Civic.

 

How much do you want to bet that if you actually drive your truck in conditions that needed a snorkel....they would basically cancel your warranty. Seen enough other warranty denial claims around here. Essentially, if you take your Tacoma off-road, Toyota seem to be dicks regarding that. Even if it says, in giant fucking letters, "Offroad" on the side.

 

Would be nice if Toyota designed it to be removed when not running in desert/dusty conditions. Otherwise, no way I'd want it on full time.

 

I get the arguement, but it's kind of silly. If you bang your truck around off-road, how can Toyota be held responsible for when things break? No matter how stout things are built, something is going to break, with the abuse you guys put your truck through.

The "off-road" on the side is just marketing and ya'll should know that. Same as your old GMC Cyclone is not cyclone proof. I know it's not apples to apples, but common sense says that that sticker is not a guaranty of coverage. I'm sure your owners manual (few read that thing) would state that over and over.

This lecture isn't directed at you, but I've seen the warranty coverage complaints so many times, that I question people's understanding of the concept. I've read so many posts where people try to deceive dealerships on warranty issues, when they admit the damage comes from blatant and unreasonable abuse to the truck. And then get upset with Toyota when such obvious abuse isn't covered.

 

No, not at all.

1st reason: if it was an “intake” a wave over the hood from a large puddle, or all of the dust from any vehicle your following would go right into your intake. Super dumb idea for a truck. Swamped or choked engine for sure.

2nd reason: If it was simply a “scoop” meant to force air into the engine bay, it would make your truck run hotter. Pressurizing your engine compartment, behind the radiator, would reduce the amount of air drawn through the rad, reducing the efficiency of the radiator. If the scoop faced the other way, maybe, but otherwise a super dumb idea.

3rd reason: Do we really want a hole on top of the hood to let fallen leaves, rain, roadspray, bugs, and dust into your engine compartment, without at least the minimal filtering provided by the grille and rad?

Toyota made two good descisions with these trucks:

1: fake hood scoop.
2: stock intake in wheel well, located high, behind a splash guard, facing away from direction of travel. The incidence of this being a problem in normal Offroad use is very low, which is why Toyota, and almost all other manufacturers of modern 4WD vehicles use the exact same arrangement.

For sure the new Tactical Racing Dingus is better than the stock intake for some uses, but hardly required for most, and both are a million times better than a functional hood scoop.

 

Someone is going to whack their snorkel on a low parking garage at some point I guarantee.

 

Oh they already confirmed it's a 'desert air intake'

But they could still seal it better.

They're not going to modify it to let you go through water easier so obviously not doing the breather etc.

I wouldn't doubt one of the reasons for it being desert intake is so they don't end up with swamped trucks lol

 

Dealer said they cannot deviate from how it was initially ordered. Looks like I will be in the market for a new fender. Would a body shop be the best place to have this swap done?

 

But probably too late now.....