What Is A Jeep Snorkel And How Is It Used?

When a Jeep that has a Jeep snorkel drives past another car on the road, everyone in the other car usually wonders what that weirdly shaped device is stemming from the Jeep. A car snorkel or Jeep snorkel props out from the vehicle and has an odd look to it.

If you’re a Jeep enthusiast, then a car snorkel is nothing surprising, but for those that have never seen one before, it’s a unique device that can help to keep engines supplied with cold air. A car snorkel can also help keep the vehicle safe from water, debris, and other things. Jeeps with snorkels have been around for ages, even well before World War 1. Many people in the agricultural and transport industries have used Jeep snorkels.

Everything constantly expands in the automotive industry, and Jeep snorkels are the same way. These peculiar snorkels started gravitating towards recreational vehicles to keep engines protected while going across deep water and other treacherous conditions.

If you do a lot of off-roading that includes water, getting a Jeep snorkel is a very ideal way to keep your vehicle protected. A Jeep snorkel will keep the air intake in your engine protected from water and other debris that can cause damage to your vehicle. No one wants their Jeep engine to hydro lock after a day out off-roading and come back with a pricey repair bill.

The purpose of a Jeep snorkel is to act as a cold air intake. It will increase the intake level of the Jeep to be higher so that cold air can get to the engine. As a result, the air will be a lot more beneficial than the air that gets to the engine from the front grille. The air will also be contaminated and it will have a lot more oxygen in it.

A lot of vehicles on the market today have technology used to keep their engine efficiency working no matter what obstacles they face, but with cooler air inflow, your Jeep will have a lot more torque, increased power, and even better fuel economy.

Why A Jeep Snorkel?

Aside from the benefits of cooler air getting to your engine, snorkels also increase filtration getting into the engine. With increased filtration, dust and debris won’t be able to have the same accessibility to the engine. As a result, your engine will last a lot longer and will be healthier than engines that don’t have a snorkel.

If you live in a dusty and dry climate and have an air filter that continuously gets clogged, that can wreak havoc on the performance of your Jeep. It’ll also lower your fuel consumption.

Some people automatically think that their Jeeps are now submarines just because they get a snorkel installed in them. While a Jeep snorkel can prevent your engine from hydro-locking in deeper water, it won’t be able to protect your electronics and other things from damage that might occur. The jeep gives a max water level depth that you can safely go into for each vehicle, so you’ll want to refer to your manual to see what level of water your vehicle can drive in without causing damage.

If you’re going to be installing a snorkel on your Jeep, you might want to consider other mods, as well. Some people like to mod their body panels located near the hood. They will drill holes to secure the intake and mounting brackets to the Jeep. For those that think they won’t be using a snorkel for the foreseeable future, the panels will need to be replaced at some point.

When considering a Jeep snorkel, you’ll have to keep in mind that you’ll typically experience some more wind noise as a result of it. Snorkels are commonly located right above the passenger door, so there will be more wind noise generated because of the suction getting in the snorkel. Wind noise is more evident once your vehicle gets to high speeds.

The added height of the snorkel can also lead to issues if you’re parking in garages or other public garages. You’ll always want to be looking to see if your snorkel will come in contact with the top of the garage.

Despite these few things to keep an eye out for, snorkels are a good addition to any Jeep, and even more so for those that enjoy off-roading.