WK2 Snorkel

[Clarky]

My 2c
I have an Air Flow & I can say with 100% confidence that at Hwy speeds it defiantly improved fuel economy.

Low speed & off road no improvement in economy.

This may be unrelated to the snorkel but I have noticed an increase in turbo lag since fitting, there are no restrictions or sharp bends so I will need to investigate the intercooler & exhaust before I can say its the snorkel.

There is now an induction noise from the snorkel, sometimes love it sometimes hate it but I fixed that by fitting Mud tyres, can't here anything over 60k's now

I notice the snorkel head sits right down & the snorkel body is visible ¼ the way up inside the head, is this the correct way to have it , I mine sitting so you can't see the body inside the head but still high enough with a lip to stop rain etc.

Originally Posted by Numb Thumbs

Two new photos of the Ateco/Airflow snorkel:



Cheers
Numb Thumbs

[Benn0]

Originally Posted by Mudguard

Several years ago we" did the cape", the height to the leading edge of the bonnet on our lifted PATROL is 1.2m and in maintaining the bow wave effect/ right speed the water was up over the bonnet. With the GC even dropping the front wheel into a un-noticed hole could be fatal. We will be fitting a snorkel (hopefully more aesthetically pleasing like fwdjeep said) but our deep water-fording days are over

Well yes, who is the brave soul that is going to fit a snorkel to their WK2 and try to cross nolans? Slab of beer to whoever makes it!

If you tried to stick to the official limits of 510mm (that is the height of the tow hooks), then if you dropped the left front into a foot deep hole (water level would be bottom of the grille, and you'd probably be hung up) then you would be getting close to the air intake (still about 250mm below). Depending on the size of the bow wave you could end up with a big gulp in there. If you became stuck with moving water it might be even more of a worry.

Anyway, looking forward to see how those owners fitting snorkels make use of theirs. If they find it allows them to take on deeper water without other issues I might change my tune..... until then I'm thinking some kind of removable hydroshield or prefilter at the intake might be a good backup option, just fit it when doing water crossings, or on the beach.....

[Chief Products]

Wow, what a great thread. There's lots of great information and discussion here. Thanks guys, it made for a good read this morning.

Here's my 2c...

Performance and economy increases will only be seen when the vehicle is at speed. The increased intake length of a snorkel will provide restriction (and decreased performance and economy) during slower speeds. Once vehicle speed increases, the ram effect and cooler air provided by a well designed snorkel can improve performance and economy. This also means that dyno performance numbers for snorkels can be deceiving since the vehicle is not moving.

Originally Posted by Benn0

I'm not meaning to be rude or disrespectful, I'm just working through the reasons for installing one. I was thinking of getting one, I was always of the opinion you get a diesel you get a snorkel, hence my interest in the thread, but as I've looked into it for this particular car, I'm questioning the need for it, mainly based on the other vulnerabilities around electronics and water sealing of the cabin only being done to 510mm.

The document you reference that lists the sealing of the cabin and official wading depth at 510mm, is a great reference. Keep in mind this is based on what Jeep is willing to put on their brochures and accept legal responsibility for. It must take into account what any of their customers might do, even silly things - as well as effects on maintenance schedules and warranty costs.

I've found through experience that the WK2 can easily traverse brief water crossing much deeper than 510mm without any major adverse effects (water ingress, electronics damage, etc). The electronics are well positioned, the diffs are vented to the rear of the engine compartment (where an air bubble forms if the hood dips below the water line).



The WK2 is definitely not designed to operate for prolonged periods in deep water, but a decent snorkel can address one of the main weaknesses associated with brief deep water crossings, as well as provide benefits for anyone who regularly encounters dusty conditions.

It's not a Unimog, but for a luxury SUV the WK2 is surprisingly well designed for off-road.

Originally Posted by Benn0

Another option I was looking at is a hydroshield cover that some paranoid CAI users fit:

http://store.newlevelmotorsports.com/inhyprefi.html

If this could be fitted over the intake above the headlight it might be effective to prevent water entry.

This is very interesting product and concept. I don't know I'd trust it entirely for a deep water crossing, but it would be interesting to see someone perform some testing on it for off-road use.

Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by hills46

And on a slightly different slant, amazing what happens to your heart rate as you approach your pride and joy with a 90mm hole saw!

Cutting holes in the side always make me nervous too! LOL!

Originally Posted by Numb Thumbs

I have been in contact with Airflow - my GC was the one initially pulled apart to work out how to fit a snorkel - and here are some comments from them:

The larger head was developed to allow more air into the engine, 3.8 times more air(this is why airflow can achieve more power and economy).
Some of this air is lost due to the water and dust separation process(as per all rams with this feature).
You should never put the cap on backward, it creates a vacuum and removes air to the engine.
Airflow has developed a smaller designed ram that will be less efficient than the large ram but more efficient than our competitor on the market. This is due for release in about 4 months.

Regards,

David Mellords[/B]

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

Is that supposed to be 4 Months or 4 Weeks?

[Numb Thumbs]

Four months for the smaller head. The snorkel is supposed to be released in about four weeks.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

[Benn0]

Originally Posted by Chief Products

The document you reference that lists the sealing of the cabin and official wading depth at 510mm, is a great reference. Keep in mind this is based on what Jeep is willing to put on their brochures and accept legal responsibility for. It must take into account what any of their customers might do, even silly things - as well as effects on maintenance schedules and warranty costs.

I've found through experience that the WK2 can easily traverse brief water crossing much deeper than 510mm without any major adverse effects (water ingress, electronics damage, etc). The electronics are well positioned, the diffs are vented to the rear of the engine compartment (where an air bubble forms if the hood dips below the water line).



The WK2 is definitely not designed to operate for prolonged periods in deep water, but a decent snorkel can address one of the main weaknesses associated with brief deep water crossings, as well as provide benefits for anyone who regularly encounters dusty conditions.

It's not a Unimog, but for a luxury SUV the WK2 is surprisingly well designed for off-road.

This is very interesting product and concept. I don't know I'd trust it entirely for a deep water crossing, but it would be interesting to see someone perform some testing on it for off-road use.

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Bill,

MY14 diff breather on the rear sticks up just 2 inches with a filter cap on top, maybe they did a better job of this in the older model, but anything over 500mm that breather is submerged on my car. That can be fixed I guess.

How deep do you think you were in that water? (Looks like 700mm-800mm going by the rear tyre) Did you check for water entering the airfilter after that crossing?

I'd be happy enough to cross deeper than 510mm (maybe 600mm with ORII and bigger tyres) if I thought I could definitely do it without stopping. Once stopped I'd be concerned the car could be flooded, and as we saw with those Prados crossing Nolans, you may end up with a dead car.

One of the concerns with the standard air intake is that even at a 510mm crossing a splash of water could still result in water entering the cylinders, I was considering the hydroshield filter as a simple, temporary option for these types of concerns. If you are crossing a 500mm puddle but are concerned a splash of water may still get up under the lip of the bonnet, then stick this on the front of the intake and you have 'some' protection. You would probably have to re-fashion the material and build a bracket to hold it onto the intake, but for ~$50 you could have something simple and effective for low water crossings and beach driving. And easier to fit than a wading bra....

I might order one and try it out on my next beach camp trip.

[Numb Thumbs]

Benno

How would that thing go if your air intake cops more than a splashing? If it is submerged for a couple of seconds, no air is going to get to the cylinders...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

[Benn0]

Originally Posted by Numb Thumbs

Benno

How would that thing go if your air intake cops more than a splashing? If it is submerged for a couple of seconds, no air is going to get to the cylinders...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

Yep, but I guess that is better than water getting in. I've heard a number of guys with CAIs submerge their filter with these thing on them and they come out ok.