Snorkels for KJ CRD - Airflow or Safari or Other?
 

Hello all!

I'm looking at fitting a snorkel to my 07 KJ CRD. I can't find a previous post that gives a definitive recommendation. It looks like I can get an Airflow from ebay (new) for about $100 cheaper than a Safari Snorkel.

Safari's website talks about how good their plastics are compared to other brands, yet people are complaining about the rattling with Safari Snorkels.

Can anyone advise me on which one to get? Or are there others I should consider?

Cheers!

Safari all the way. Recognised as the worlds best snorkel. Has water channels down the sides for heavy rainy days. Has a better looking head on it than the big oval ugly heads on the Airflows. Many will argue it but this is my observation and opinion. I own safari, never had a rattle in a year so far.

From what i have read on other forums, the general concensus would appear to be that Safari use stronger materials/plastics and that their snorkels don't stick out from the bodywork as much as airflow ones do - which is of obvious benefits in tight bush environments.

Also... from what I have read, Safari have more comprehensive fitting instructions. Useful if you're going to put it on yourself but, i would think, not overly important if you have it fitted by a professional

but other than that fact the different opinions i have seen all relate to personal preference on their asthetics.

And this from another source:

"Airtech and Airflow are Safari Clones made to a budget. There are some who would argue that the cheaper units are really only for ducting cool and slightly cleaner air into the engine, and not really for excluding water, and I have seen and heard of problems with both allowing water ingress. BUT I would think that with any of them YOU need to make sure they are water proof before you dunk the vehicle into deep water, I have seen a home fitted Safari that allowed more water in than the original OE air intake...... poor fitting!

Look at them, feel them, check the fit on similar vehicles, and then check the wallet. Any one of them fitted properly has gotta be better than a gutful of water!!

For years the Airflow was the only snorkel available for the KJ, and really Safari has only been producing a KJ snork for about one year and abit - after production of the KJ stopped. The AIrflow does not stick out beyond the body, the edge of the guard over the tyre extends past the snorkel body. The idea behind any snorkel to to get as much air as possible into the airbox, including the ram effect. A larger diametre tube is an advantage, and the larger head catches more air. Fitting any snorkel on the KJ is a demanding job as you have to cut through three panels to get to the airbox, I know I installed mine and a few others as well. I have seen so called professional snorkel installs that look like crap, and are probably rusting out as soon as they leave the shop - the guys at ARB, TJM, Town & Country, where-ever are trying to minimise the amount of time they spend doing the job to maximise their profit on the install. A DIY snorkel install is a good way to ensure that the job is done right: with die cutters, or nibblers used on the thinner panels; plastic tubing to guard air hose from cuts from the sheet metal edges, cold gal paint on the exposed steel, Locktite on the through guard bolts, etc etc - the pros jobs I have seen do little to none of this because you'll never see it or know how it was done. Of course if you are not comfortable using tools, and the thought of cutting into your Jeep scares you, then get a pro to do it but choose carefully. I can recommend CRDSTU as he has done alot fo these and he was very helpful to me in talking me through my first one. You can also buy Airflow snork kits through him.

Finally, any snorkel can rattle if not installed correctly, and the support brace on the A pillar is a key factor in snorkel stability. I have seen installs where the brace is screwed into the plastic windscreen trim, move it abit and you can break the windscreen, the only good spot is directly into the A pillar but it has to be in the right spot. Talk to Stu he's done a lot of installs correctly.

You can read all about the snorkel install in this thread:


http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...norkel+install

Its almost like the famous "what oil do you use" debate. It could go on forever.

All I can say is that when I helped Airflow design and test the snorkel for the KJ, looks was over riden in favour of performance and the Airflow one provides the most posititivley charged airbox - alot to do with the intake/hat design too. Sure it can look a little quirky on a stock KJ but on a KJ with the right mods the overall look balances out quite nicely.

I cant really comment on the Safari one as I've never fitted one but I've fitted over 130 KJ Airflow ones.....I've also fixed up a few people's home job installs that went pear shaped :P!

Hmmm. I "should" put one on B2...

Any brand snorkel intake is better and bigger than the factory intake regardless. So more air is gained no matter what snorkel you want to go with. The main thing i see when i look at both heads of the safari and airflow is that the airflow has a huge head/hat on it which is great for more flow but it is not great for letting more rain water in, and it does not have much of a down facing angle to eradicate this. The safari has a good angle on it, and can be spun around fully facing backwards if in real dusty conditions, whereas the airflow cannot.