Snokel tops---turning them round?

[NIVAD]

Why do you do this?

I've heard different tails, but i like them facing forward but i found a reason to turn mine-

Trying to blast underneath whilst going through ford noticed water going close to snorkel and yes it had gone in, how much, who knows-certainly wont do that again.

[Lincs niva]

Few people i know do it to stop the rain,dust and other crap hitting the snorkel face directly..

Cheers Gav

[Ja1983]

in theory the filter should handle any dust/bugs/small amounts of water, and when forward facing there will be a forced induction effect, however its probably best NOT to go charging through water anyway really, as it will splash the engine, electrics etc possibly leading to problems, if weather is bad its probably wise to turn it back, heavy snow etc could potentialy cause a blockage!

my tupence worth anyway

[AbyssDJ]

safari snorkels are usually turned backwards cos of rain and that, but to be honest the head is designed to expell rain anyway - thats what those little holes are for :) aint gonna harm anything.

if a bit of water went in the snorkel it shouldnt be any big deal... might get a bit of white smoke at the most. of course, its best that it doesnt go in, but if you're scooping up water with your snorkel then lets face it, you're probably going a bit deep anyway ;)

from what i've heard from most people as far as the ram air effect goes, it doesnt really make any difference. a few people have said it gives it a slight edge over normal snorkels or whatever.. but lets face it, its hardly a big scoop, and its hardly a fast, performance tuned car.

[mobi]

i think you'll find it's the ram air thing some engines over air to fuel mix.(does that make sense?)

[Evilgoat]

i think you'll find it's the ram air thing some engines over air to fuel mix.(does that make sense?)

Its possible I guess but unlikeley. Not seen the holes on mine that abyssdj is on about. Had to fit a brain on mine asit really did collect a fair bit of water when facing forward in heavy rain. Normally it faces backwards.

[Range Rover Blues]

Ram air is bunk, utter rubbish.  Did an experiment with Tim M, it the effect is negligeable and certainly cannot overcome the extra restriction caused by the longer pipework that having a snorkel entails.

[rollazuki]

Interesting subject.
Spent many an hour researching it when I was into bike tuning. basically a foreward facing funnel is the WORST thing imagineable as far as ram air is concerned. Effectively, it fills up, and virtually blocks off airflow.

Example: Air behaves like a fluid, take a funnel and a bath, and whoosh it thru the water, big end first. The water just pushes along, and very little pressure is generated at the thin end.

The best inlet is a smooth rounded opening, foreward or above the vehicle surfaces to avoid laminar air flow, that actually opens out gradually inside, after the opening, to create a pressurised plenum, from where the engine can draw its high pressure air.

Thus, a funnel shaped snorkel top, feeding into about 4 feet of pipe, with various bends etc is maybe the worst shape imagineable.

As another example, a Suzuki Hayabusa(1300cc) with ram air, was tested by a bunch of fellas in an article I once read. They tried to keep airbox pressure higher than atmospheric, on a dyno, with compressed air.
They ended up using 2 roadside compressors(them big yellow things that power pneumatic drills etc) and failed to keep the thing pressurised at full throttle!
Thats how much a well designed ram air can flow!!

Id say you would get a better result with it facing backwards over the roof, or maybe even better still at the bottom of the screen, where it can breath from the turbulent air rushing over the bonnet and hitting the screen bottom.......maybe......

[Evilgoat]

As another example, a Suzuki Hayabusa(1300cc) with ram air, was tested by a bunch of fellas in an article I once read. They tried to keep airbox pressure higher than atmospheric, on a dyno, with compressed air.
They ended up using 2 roadside compressors(them big yellow things that power pneumatic drills etc) and failed to keep the thing pressurised at full throttle!
Thats how much a well designed ram air can flow!!

The TL had the same SRAD system and yes it works great in that context. The current WS6 Trans-Am/Firebird also uses it in lieu of a supercharger.

Theres a big difference between a snorkel and these though.

[bilge rat]

been out in bad rain which aint hard this year and checked the air filter to see iff any water has been sucked up. always bone dry. like said the safari top is designed to expell the water. blasting into deep water it does get very close to or into the snorkel top but is a little reckles doing this anyway. did see somewhere where someone tried turning it 180 degree round and when they braked the water in the rain gutter ran down & and was sucked up through the snorkel ?. the worst ive got mine was blasting down the a 14 in a storm plowing through water spraying it all over the n/s of the car. was without a snorkel and the filter was well wet. think iff ya carefull and check the filter after heavy rain use you'd be o.k. aparently k&n filter are better than the paper type of filter for keeping the water out . .. alan....

[Evilgoat]

been out in bad rain which aint hard this year and checked the air filter to see iff any water has been sucked up. always bone dry. like said the safari top is designed to expell the water. blasting into deep water it does get very close to or into the snorkel top but is a little reckles doing this anyway. did see somewhere where someone tried turning it 180 degree round and when they braked the water in the rain gutter ran down & and was sucked up through the snorkel ?. the worst ive got mine was blasting down the a 14 in a storm plowing through water spraying it all over the n/s of the car. was without a snorkel and the filter was well wet. think iff ya carefull and check the filter after heavy rain use you'd be o.k. aparently k&n filter are better than the paper type of filter for keeping the water out . .. alan....

I think with the Vitara one you'd have to be very unlucky to get water in from just spraythe bends in the snorkel should stop any light spray and the exit is again, quite a turn. On top of that theres a baffle in the filter too that should stop light spray.

[auf_wiedersehen_pet]

i think you'll find it's the ram air thing some engines over air to fuel mix.(does that make sense?)

Its possible I guess but unlikeley. Not seen the holes on mine that abyssdj is on about. Had to fit a brain on mine asit really did collect a fair bit of water when facing forward in heavy rain. Normally it faces backwards.

An ECU for a snorkel - where can I get one or are they as elusive as the ducks?

[skip]

Some owners of older LPG converted vehicles turn around the snokle tops cos otherwise the mixture gets upset, mainly due needing a vacume under all conditions.

[Ja1983]

hmm.. getting interesting!

perhaps the filter oil you get with K & N`s would work on a paper filter, and aid in the stoppage of water, if this is a problem!?

LOL at the turned one collecting out of the gutter!  :lol:

having thought about the water problem, long wet drives in heavy rain may benefit from turning round, but i recon the odd splash in here and there isnt going to do much damae, consider the course 1 drop has to take...
1 - get in throgh the opening
2 - pass down the pipe, round the first bend, another bit, and into the filter box, around the filter box and meet mr filter!
3 - if managed to breach the filter, water then has a turbo spinning away, bit like a blender...
4 - the runs of pipe to and from the intercooler, not forgetting the intercooler.
5. the manifold, though the head and into the cylinder...

i find it hard to believe that anything more than the tiniest bit of mist is likely to make it far enough to be a problem...

...and agreed, any forced air effect is unlikely to make a difference!

[rollazuki]

Dont add K&N filter oil to a paper filter. Itll stop working. The reason K&N use sticky oil, is because the filter is a fairly open weave cotton, and the oil catches contaminants as they pass over it and sticks then down. On a tight weave paper filter itll gum it up.
I know from riding bikes with open filters, they 'steam' a bit from the exhaust when it rains and the filters get wet, but they have no running issues.
I dont know how much water it would take to Hydraulic an engine(not much Id guess) but Id say it'd take a hell of a lot of water mist to do it.

If youre so worried, fit a one way valve to the bottom of the airbox/filter housing to release collected water. Most trial bike(and usually road bike)airboxes have one. Its like a ducks bill rubber thingumywhatsit. It allows water to drain out, but stays closed to incoming water. Problem solved!
Do I get a prize :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

RRC airbox has one already, though I welded mine shut.