open element vs snorkel

[K30Blazer]

okay, okay. I know this has been done to death, but every thread I could find degenerated into arguing about K&N and ram air without discussing the merits of either system.

The arguement for each is this:

Snorkel accesses cool air from outside which is denser.

Open element accesses more air but it is hotter.

The arguements bounce back and forth and I can't make sense of either. It seems that there isn't really any empirical data supporting either.

Anyone?

 

[MarcS]

I dont think the air Rams down a snorkle very well.

Probally better off taking off the cover behind the grill to the hose running into the air cleaner.
Pretty straight run into the cleaner for Ram air.

 

[sled_dog]

Probally better off taking off the cover behind the grill to the hose running into the air cleaner.
Pretty straight run into the cleaner for Ram air.

better idea I say.

Unless you forsee needing a snorkel I wouldn't bother with one. And if you are going back and forth between open element and snorkel, I doubt you need one.

 

[HarryH3]

I think he's talking about the stock air intake "snorkel" that goes to the grill area, not the "Dante's Peak" snorkel.

 

[beater_k20]

go with the snorkel, its designed specifically for the engine to breathe through it, so its not going to be too terribly restrictive. plus, as you said cooler air is more dense, more dense air = more power, and more power = better mpg.

 

[dyeager535]

To have an empirical answer, you'd have to know how much the stock snorkel flows, compared to what the carb can flow, and if you wanted to really get technical, air demands of the engine. Either one could be a restriction to engine demand, I *suspect* that the stock snorkel is probably enough to feed most engine demands.

Forget about the hot air aspect until you know what the flow of the intake is, otherwise you're just guessing as to actual impact of more, hot air vs. less, cold air.

Not that you can't calculate a theoretical power difference based solely on temperature, but still, if the cold air coming in is a restriction, power gained by the cool air may be "lost" compared to a hotter setup that allows more airflow.

As to beater_k20's comment, noise was also a factor in how GM designed the snorkels, restriction was acceptable (to what point I'm unsure) to make the vehicle quieter. Just look at that tiny "nozzle" on the non-factory cool air setups...that isn't anywhere near the diameter of the later stuff. (also look at the diesel silencers, weird TBI air intake setup in the core support, and so on)