Snorkel or Not to Snorkel

[Greedy Guido]

Just purchased a new 2017 Toyota Fortuner GXL for the wife and looking at extras.

Is it worth installing a snorkel and if so which snorkel so do you recommend. I do like the look of the TJM unit but have used Safari on other vehicles. Is the genuine Toyota unit any good.

[Al San]

I'm keen to know if anyone's seen much difference from the cleaner air, economy/power etc or is it a longer term benefit? I saw an advert for Safari's ECU for the hilux/fortuner and a question in the thread asked about the armax safari snorkel for the lux/forty and they said it'd be out 4th quarter this year... sposed to push more air in but is a bigger beast too. Keen to know if anyone's had a toyota one installed post delivery to see what price was, country WA toyota dealer reckoned 900 plus fitting, seems ridiculous, safari or TJM are about 700 fitted down here.

[mrh460]

I found this -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131730594217

Genuine Toyota snorkel $500 including freight.

[thehunteroz]

Guido, the toyota snorkel isn't designed for water crossings Safari's and TJM's airtec snorkel as far as i know are fully sealed up airboxes but you can do the same with the Toyota one with some Sikaflex

[Bussa]

Hi

Avoid the Toyota Snorkel as stated it is not sealed and is not designed for water crossings. Get the TJM or Safari, these are completely sealed. You will however still need to seal the hole in your airbox (easy job!).

Aside from being able to complete a water crossing without catastrophic engine failure, I have not noticed any notable difference in fuel consumption or power, and I haven't really paid attention to this. Physics tells me there should be a difference, and I can say my air filter which is a K&N is spotless after 20,000km which has included a fair bit of dirt roads and 4wding. For about $600 fitted, why not get one, especially if you do plan on those water crossings.

Cheers

[Eastie]

Water crossing is the only advantage - there I said it! the rest is marketing hype that cannot bend the laws of thermodynamics and physics with increased fuel efficiency despite decreased aerodynamics?.

From what I can tell the oe one is a little noisy but looks good - that's as much nicety as I've seen written about it. Safari looks like a mutant leech from the nineteen hundreds. I get visions of safari's 70 year old chief designer voyaging into the mountains in a 70's land rover to design their new snorkels - I don;t get the idea that they've ever heard of a rmit design/engineering graduate for some reason? But alas, it's sealed if you sikaflex it up (like the others) and is possibly thicker plastic to limit the inevitable noise. TJM have the tasmanian inspired 2 head system, take your pick as to which is least least ugly of the two, and revel in the fact that if you choose wisely it wont be as ugly as the safari. I'll probably get a(nother) safari and put a bag over it's head, I hate the feeling of drowning a diesel as you float downstream.

[Deeds]

lol, interesting read.

[Eastie]

Quick update - toyota snorkel won out for me. To decide I showed the wife pics of safari and toyota snorkels, and she said the safari looks like was "designed by a 4 year old at kindergarden during box construction!"
Harsh, but true

[mrh460]

I have the genuine Toyota snorkel.

I do not find it noisy (although I admit it was fitted prior to delivery so my experience without one is limited).

[Petefortuner]

Are you ever going to do water crossings over 700mm? If not then you don't need the snorkel and the improved air intake and fuel economy will probably never offset the cost to buy and install. $500-$700 buys a lot of fuel.

Aesthetics are aesthetics and if you want the snorkel to look good, then you can't put a price on that.

[tekka maki]

The snorkel has both dust and water advantages. Without the snorkel, the air intake for the engine is in the cavity between the car body and the engine bay. On outback dirt roads, the amount of fine red dust that would find it's way into this cavity would be significant. A snorkel prevents this dust from entering the air intake. With or without a snorkel, if there's enough water in your engine bay to find it's way into the small hole at the bottom of the air filter box (or not, if you've sealed it), it won't be long before you short your battery, if you haven't already, and probably not much longer before your car starts floating.