Clearing the Air
We explore why skilled aftermarket snorkel fitment makes the difference for 4x4 vehicle owners.
T he most obvious benefit of a snorkel
is preventing hydrolocking during a river crossing. But the truth is that many 4x4 owners will rarely have to cross a river where the water depth gets close to their engine intake level.
Intake snorkels have a real benefit for many South African bakkie and SUV owners, feeding cooler, cleaner air into the engine. South Africa is renowned for its extensive dirt road network and incredibly fine, hardened mica dust particles. When travelling in a convoy, vehicles following are in a constant stream of dirty air, choked with dust.
What the snorkel does is draw air from the bakkie or SUV’ s roofline, which is higher and usually out of the dust cloud, when travelling in a convoy. That roofline ambient air is also cooler than the air being drawn through the grille into the engine bay, which is mostly heat-soaked by the presence of a turbocharger. Nearly all bakkies and SUVs now on sale in South Africa are turbocharged, and turbocharged engines generate a lot of under-bonnet heat.
Why snorkels make sense
Unlike many other 4x4 vehicle accessories, the snorkel has real benefits for daily driving in South Africa’ s dusty environment. It’ s the ideal accessory for aftermarket fitment centres, because it has a real purpose in the South African market and requires expert installation.
Not all snorkels are created equal. Fitment centres should consider material quality to prevent stocking snorkels with lower-grade plastic structures that can crack and prematurely age due to sun exposure.
Advanced snorkel designs are aeroand acoustically tested, resulting in lower wind noise. This is a feature that fitment centre marketing managers should highlight to customers when they are comparing the cost of midgrade and premium snorkels. Once installed, there’ s little that can be done to reduce the wind noise generated by a less aerodynamic snorkel.
Aftermarket fitment matters
Snorkel installation might appear simple, but it requires skilled technicians and is a real add-on service for fitment centres to provide. Why should customers choose to have their snorkels installed by a fitment centre specialist rather than doing the job themselves? To prevent rust and air gaps.
Air hose guidance and clamping are real skills when installing a snorkel. Skilled fitment technicians can fit a snorkel without any air gaps developing, even if the air hose guidance is complex, through the engine bay.
Another issue is rust. Incorrectly drilled holes in the vehicle’ s A-pillar for snorkel mounting hardware can create a corrosion risk. This is where a skilled fitment technician helps reduce the risk for a customer rather than a botched home installation.
WORDS IN ACTION 24 JULY | AUGUST 2026