Am I the only one who thinks a snorkel on a TJ is crazy?

I have a snorkel on my Gladiator EcoDiesel. Cold air and a Sy-Clone centrifugal pre-filter, but I've been told before on this forum that dust separators are a myth or something. I didn't install it for water fording, but, the stock intake location on the JL/JT pulls from under the hood gap right on top of the front fender. Stupid place to pull from as dunking your nose in for a crossing very often throws a bow wave over the front fenders.

My TJ is a Windstar style intake into the cowl. Also largely for colder air. With the supercharger I have to run meth to even keep the charge air cold enough, so every bit helps. Pulling from behind the radiator isn't ideal. And a snorkel would just be a huge issue, the TJ gets leaned into rocks and trees and a snorkel wouldn't last a day.

Different vehicles, different purposes, different functions.
 
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99% of the snorkels you see are about as performance-orientated as the wings you see on Hondas.

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That's why they draw so much hate, and why "God hates snorkels."

If they're truly function then they're cool. Just like cars with functional wings and ground effects.

But when they're not they look about as sporty as a fatty in spandex.

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srimes said:
99% of the snorkels you see are about as performance-orientated as the wings you see on Hondas.

View attachment 515492

That's why they draw so much hate, and why "God hates snorkels."

If they're truly function then they're cool. Just like cars with functional wings and ground effects.

...
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Come on now, those spoilers and ground effects probably produce 100 pounds of downforce while the Honda sitting still...
 
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Those that wheel in parts of the Canadian Shield and here in Alaska understand that relocating the airbox intake for certain trails is definitely a required modification. Just go back and watch Ultimate Adventure 2019. Up here it is not overall depth that gets you it is the vertical entrance to the water crossing that will put the airbox intake under water until the ass end of your rig settles down. So just doing a cowl intake mod may actually get the job done in most cases but not everyone wants to go DIY so they buy a snorkel kit. It is just one part of an overall plan that needs to be in place like making sure gearbox breathers are adequate and taking time to do some preventative maintenance like using connector grease on electrical stuff (which Jeep did a lot better on the TJ than some on this forum give them credit for) and also understand that you need to step up your after trail maintenance as well.
 
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Blackjack said:
Those that wheel in parts of the Canadian Shield and here in Alaska understand that relocating the airbox intake for certain trails is definitely a required modification. Just go back and watch Ultimate Adventure 2019. Up here it is not overall depth that gets you it is the vertical entrance to the water crossing that will put the airbox intake under water until the ass end of your rig settles down. So just doing a cowl intake mod may actually get the job done in most cases but not everyone wants to go DIY so they buy a snorkel kit. It is just one part of an overall plan that needs to be in place like making sure gearbox breathers are adequate and taking time to do some preventative maintenance like using connector grease on electrical stuff (which Jeep did a lot better on the TJ than some on this forum give them credit for) and also understand that you need to step up your after trail maintenance as well.
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This is the only real reason I’ve experienced for having a snorkel/relocated air intake. The depth isn’t really ever the issue, the angle of entrance in the creek/river crossings are the main issue.

That being said most of my off-roading is in areas with lots of water crossings where some can take 2 minutes to get through. Because of that I’ve done pretty much all the waterproofing of electronics I could find.

I’ve many times driven through 3ft or so of water and my cowl intake has been more than sufficient.
 
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SkylinesSuck said:
I had a motor I wouldn't have hydrolocked if I had a snorkel. That being said, a little less stupid probably would have saved me that motor as well.

I think they should be viewed more as a just in case thing than a submarine mod. Then you need to decide if you can stomach one. They aren't for me, but I don't go into violent spasms the way some do when I see one on someone else's Jeep. Now angry eyes, that's a different thing all
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SkylinesSuck said:
I had a motor I wouldn't have hydrolocked if I had a snorkel. That being said, a little less stupid probably would have saved me that motor as well.

I think they should be viewed more as a just in case thing than a submarine mod. Then you need to decide if you can stomach one. They aren't for me, but I don't go into violent spasms the way some do when I see one on someone else's Jeep. Now angry eyes, that's a different thing all together.
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hear! hear!
 
RangerTJ said:
Not just on TJs, but other vehicles as well, I'd wager that the number of times most of those vehicles were driven in water deep enough to require a snorkel could be counted on one hand rolled into a fist.

The "Overlander" look is what most are going for.

Snorkel, Angry birds grille, and Ducks on the dash. The Trifecta of the Ultimate Overlander.

The Duck can be substituted for a never-been-used Hi-Lift jack mounted somewhere very obvious.

But eh, it all comes down to not my circus and not my monkey.

People can do what they want to their vehicle with their money.

Some mods appeal to 5% of the population and look awful to the other 95%.

But in that 5% is where they want to be noticed.

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You're right on my friend! On all points.
 
AndyG said:
Everyone knows i’m opinionated-

This is sort of how I take them-

To me it is “signaling”-

“here I go and I may have to ford water as deep as this to get there- I an extreme”-

I also think it could give an 18 year old boy a false sense of capability with what a vehicle can do, ideas like this

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This is the reason a guy bought my 2003, his knucklehead u-boat commander son did this.




It also makes me wonder “do you not understand, that is not going to help you”


I guess coming from a standpoint of being 57, avoiding deep water in a rig and common sense, I am diametrically opposed to the snorkel mindset.
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A beautiful jeep ruined!
 
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