frostyfriday wrote:Guys, other than fyording through 6 feet deep water, what is the use of a snorkel?
I have always wondered, because I have designed automotive controllers and gauges and I can tell you that the spec for a military vehicle that can be submerged and those for a Mitsubishi Delica are quite different. Submerging a Delica is just asking for trouble...
So I wondered about that. How deep of a water can a standard L300 with no mods ride through? And what would the depth be with differential breathers added on but no snorkel?
Well it's more or less what you're willing to destroy. With a snorkel you could enter much deeper water but at the expense of water potentially soaking the rear ac unit, alternator, water entering the differentials via the vent... it'll go deeper than without one for sure once or twice... but then you'll quickly find the weak points. Rule of thumb for me when I off road is to never go deeper than 3/4 of my Tire.
K
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3/4 or height of tire seems a good rule of thumb to go by. But would adding breathers to the differential's provide any more clearance on our deli's without using snorkels? Are the differential vent's the same height as other components that could get damaged? I'm removing the rear AC but I'm going by the assumption that I don't want to damage anything like the alternator.
As awesome as they would look :) seems getting a snorkel would mean that one needs to follow through and waterproof all the components that might get damaged from water exposure.
I would raise the breathers on all of the differentials. I don't know why Mitsubishi hung the alternator so low on this van; really poor spot. The alternator also has the vacuum pump on it so it's really important to keep dry. That all being said, I installed the snorkel primarily for looks. It does, however, allow you to drive on dusty trails at higher speed because it's taking in fresh air above the wheel arch dust stream. The factory air cleaner mated to the snorkel really does ensure you much cooler and cleaner air delivery.
Cutting to the brass tacks here. From my research the overwhelming reason to install a snorkel is to reap colder, cleaner forced air into the engine so it can run cooler/better and, drumroll... mainly get more power out of this hamster wheel engine? I too am interested in a snorkel and I will be installing a 2.5 exhaust and K&N filter as a first step. To snorkel owners: Does it feel like it gains you some oomf from a seat of the pants perspective? Please advise.
Captain America wrote:Cutting to the brass tacks here. From my research the overwhelming reason to install a snorkel is to reap colder, cleaner forced air into the engine so it can run cooler/better and, drumroll... mainly get more power out of this hamster wheel engine? I too am interested in a snorkel and I will be installing a 2.5 exhaust and K&N filter as a first step. To snorkel owners: Does it feel like it gains you some oomf from a seat of the pants perspective? Please advise.
Regards
Having the intake so close to the window makes the overall sound cooler.... The performance gain for me was minimal. I did however turn the boost up and cut the exhaust off at the same time so who knows for sure. I can definitely hear the intake during cruise and I love it.
Captain America wrote:Cutting to the brass tacks here. From my research the overwhelming reason to install a snorkel is to reap colder, cleaner forced air into the engine so it can run cooler/better and, drumroll... mainly get more power out of this hamster wheel engine? I too am interested in a snorkel and I will be installing a 2.5 exhaust and K&N filter as a first step. To snorkel owners: Does it feel like it gains you some oomf from a seat of the pants perspective? Please advise.
Regards
Now that would be a good enough reason if the engine health and performance increase outweigh the cost. Guess at the end its a priority/finance issue. I was more interested in the type that flushes with the body so been trying to find info on how they effect the engine/performance.
btw. sorry if we hijacked this thread. please say so if we should take the discussion of when to snorkel somewhere else.
That's the type of snorkel I was looking for as well. The one that looks more factory and is flush with the body. They are indeed very expensive though. There were a few photos I've seen on the internet where the snorkel is painted the same colour as the van and I thought it looked nice in a subtle kind of way.
Beyond that, it would have to offer some great benefits to the performance/life of the engine for me to justify spending the $$$$ on one.
philmeup1 wrote:That's the type of snorkel I was looking for as well. The one that looks more factory and is flush with the body. They are indeed very expensive though. There were a few photos I've seen on the internet where the snorkel is painted the same colour as the van and I thought it looked nice in a subtle kind of way.
Beyond that, it would have to offer some great benefits to the performance/life of the engine for me to justify spending the $$$$ on one.
Phil
I found a few website that provide that snorkel but best price was from delicagarage. $410 Australian ~ $307 US. if that makes a different in your decision.
But still evaluating the benefits with regards to engine performance, etc. to justify the expenditure.
That's the snorkel, but that's also quite a bit of $$$. Plus it has to be shipped here from Australia. I think when it's all said and done it would cost a mint to do it, too much probably:(
It's funny, the other discussion that always comes up with these snorkels is the fact that you have to drill into the side of your van for the install. My van is completely rust free with the exception of one spot right where the hole for the snorkel would go.
Let's get a huge group buy going and get a deal.....
Interesting posts. I'd like to see some hard numbers on any power changes with the snorkel fitted. I am dubious it makes any measurable difference. I am also doubt it makes any difference to the dust intake unless you are traveling in convoy and close to the vehicle in front of you. I am thinking about an L400 though, perhaps the air intake on a L300 is different. The L400 is already pretty high.
It does look cool though but there is a limit to what I will pay to look cool. :)