Where to order a snorkel from? Go ARB or Airflow?

Which snorkel do you suggest?


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Myke

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Do you know of anyone who has a snorkel in stock in the USA?

Airflow is ~$100-125 cheaper than the ARB Safari Snorkel. I've seen posts about the ARB being better build quality but no one goes into detail why.

JBA said it would be 7-10 business days for the ARB. OK4WD won't give me an estimate for the Airflow so I emailed Airflow directly since they are the ones who drop ship it. Waiting to hear back from them.

OK4WD has a 5% coupon if you sign up for their email off your first order. They are located in NJ so it pretty much just takes care of the sales tax.

Any other vendors that carry a snorkel with better pricing or promo codes?
 

Lancer

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All I can say is, that I've had an Airflow on mine since before Safari brought theirs out, and it's been fine. Quality seems good and the finish is very good.
 

tjkj2002

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No reason to put a snorkel on a KJ,or any other vehicle.

If water fording is your goal a snorkel is just 1 part of a much more expensive job.You will need to 100% water proof everything,not weather proof.You must extend the exhaust to the same height,and open the cabin so water can flood it very fast,to include always open big drain holes when exiting.The reason for that is you loose traction when "floating".Then you have to route vent lines to everything with fluid(engine/trans/t-case/PS pump/ and both diffs) and install a modified PCV type valve to send all the engine crankcase pressure to all those items to force air out the seals so water can not enter.
 

Myke

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I'm not building a submarine. You're not going to talk me out of it. Knowing this will you answer my question?
 

Myke

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All I can say is, that I've had an Airflow on mine since before Safari brought theirs out, and it's been fine. Quality seems good and the finish is very good.
How long did it take you to receive it?
 

Lancer

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Hi Myke, I'm in England. The Airflow took about 2-3 weeks from ordering, but then it was was coming from Australia. tjkj is mistaken on what you need to do. Firstly, the snork is simply a raised air intake; it lifts the intake to where you get cleaner air coming into the box. If you do a lot of driving in dusty conditions (as you get in Australia, but in Europe also back country tracks in Spain, Portugal to name just 2, and Morocco is only a 3 -4 day hard drive away from me), then a raised intake is really worth it. Even if you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic, getting the intake up away from other's exhaust is a good idea.

As for fording, if you are going to do it often, then extending all the breathers is a VERY good idea; otherwise make sure your door seals are in good condition, keep a plastic tarp in the boot of the vehicle, and before you go in, put it over the grill. I anchor one end under the bonnet, and the bottom is secured with a couple of elastics. This prevents water coming through the grill, hitting the fan and possibly damaging the fan and flooding the engine bay. A steady speed (not launching yourself in as fast as you can go) and you build a "bow wave" in the front which drops away behind. Keeping the gear low and the revs high keeps water out of the exhaust - just don't stop. If you stall, DO NOT try to restart the engine, get a tow out, and if that happens, yes you will get flooding inside the vehicle.

And the FIRST thing to do, is check the depth before you go in. The very deepest you should go is to the top of the wheel arch. Check the water to make sure that there are no concealed obstacles, or that the depth doesn't drop off part way across.
 

Myke

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Hi Myke, I'm in England. The Airflow took about 2-3 weeks from ordering, but then it was was coming from Australia. tjkj is mistaken on what you need to do. Firstly, the snork is simply a raised air intake; it lifts the intake to where you get cleaner air coming into the box. If you do a lot of driving in dusty conditions (as you get in Australia, but in Europe also back country tracks in Spain, Portugal to name just 2, and Morocco is only a 3 -4 day hard drive away from me), then a raised intake is really worth it. Even if you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic, getting the intake up away from other's exhaust is a good idea.

As for fording, if you are going to do it often, then extending all the breathers is a VERY good idea; otherwise make sure your door seals are in good condition, keep a plastic tarp in the boot of the vehicle, and before you go in, put it over the grill. I anchor one end under the bonnet, and the bottom is secured with a couple of elastics. This prevents water coming through the grill, hitting the fan and possibly damaging the fan and flooding the engine bay. A steady speed (not launching yourself in as fast as you can go) and you build a "bow wave" in the front which drops away behind. Keeping the gear low and the revs high keeps water out of the exhaust - just don't stop. If you stall, DO NOT try to restart the engine, get a tow out, and if that happens, yes you will get flooding inside the vehicle.

And the FIRST thing to do, is check the depth before you go in. The very deepest you should go is to the top of the wheel arch. Check the water to make sure that there are no concealed obstacles, or that the depth doesn't drop off part way across.

Thanks for the tip about the tarp. Currently my breathers are extended with enough extra left on so I can attach them to the airbox once I add the snorkel. I've already pulled all the carpeting and bedlined the interior. I have a new set of door seals, and will be using liquid electrical tape, dielectric grease, and some silicone to start sealing up as many connections as I can.

The trails I'm on almost every weekend are all sand between obstacles and some parts of it flood out. So it's either super dusty or very wet. Widest I've had to cross so far is roughly 6 - 10 meters with a depth just under the head light. I know the KJ can handle that depth but there are some big trucks (100+ cm tires) and if you fall into one of their ruts the water will surely be over the hood. I have a pair of those fishing boots (Waders?) so I usually walk through it first with a big stick checking for concrete blocks, rims/tires, bodies, the usual.

If we haven't crossed it before we typically hook up a strap so if someone gets stuck we can start pulling right away.
 

Damotee

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I have a Safari Snorkel on mine. No issues at all. Im sure the airflow would be fine, too. Just make sure when its installed to have it fully sealed so water doesn't seep into the airbox. Ive been in water up to my windscreen. The regular air intake on the KJ is just above the right hand headlight. A snorkel raises this up to the roof. Its nice to have the added protection.

Yes, you will need to take other precautions, especially if your KJ is a petrol. Diff breathers etc should be up nice and high. Replace oils regularly if you've been in water etc etc. The electrics malfunctioning is my main concern. Do what you can to minimise damage.

I second the use of a tarp. I have a car bra which is essentially the same as a tarp, but I find it is a much more snug fit. I also disconnect the electric fan when I go through water to stop it destroying the radiator. Connect it back up on the other side (turn A/C off when fan disconnected). Get a nice bow wave going and it will help to keep water out.

Remember to lower your tyre pressures before crossing, especially if the river bed is sandy or muddy. I go around 18Psi. Always have a snatch strap attached and ready to go in case you get stuck and need to be pulled out.

I came across a guy on the trails about 6 weeks ago. He had gone through a crossing with no snorkel and sucked water into the engine through the air intake. He hadn't walked it first (fear of crocodiles) and drove right into a hole that he didn't see. Lucky he was with a mate who was able to tow him home. He was not a happy camper, poor fella..
 

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