If you’ve been following along with our Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series (OVR LC100) budget project vehicle build on OVRmag.com, you would know that we installed an Ironman 4x4 Airforce snorkel a couple of months back.
There are many reasons to install a snorkel on your off-road rig, chief among them that raised air intakes bring in cleaner, cooler air compared to stock intake positions.
Like the majority of off-road snorkel kits, our Ironman 4x4 model came with a ram-style head standard. While we like that this type of head provides unrestricted airflow to the snorkel and may even provide a performance-enhancing ram-air effect to the engine, we were wary about water and debris that a ram head could pick up and feed into our truck’s airbox.
It is said that there shouldn’t be concerns using most ram-air-style snorkel heads in even heavy rain, as they have channels built into them that eject most moisture before it has a chance to run down into the airbox.
It’s also said that long drives in torrential downpours or heavy snowfall may create problems for these traditional types of heads.
Although those are rare occasions for most of us to encounter, when it comes to our engine we would rather not take any chances. We opted to replace our ram head with an enclosed snorkel head instead.
We sought out the Sy-Klone Series 9000 pre-cleaner due to its proven track record. Used by the likes of Caterpillar, Cummins and John Deere, as well as the military’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), this pre-cleaner has been tested in some of the toughest environments on Earth. If it’s trusted for use on giant earth movers and combat vehicles, we’d surmise that it’s worthy of our Land Cruiser too.
The Sy-Klone snorkel pre-cleaner operates by utilizing the airflow from the engine intake to spin an internal rotor, creating a cyclone effect inside the Sy-Klone’s domed housing. The centrifugal force pushes large debris and other particles to the inner wall of the dome, where they are ejected through holes that line the bottom of the housing.
This innovative design effectively prevents rain, snow, excessive dust and even bugs from going down the snorkel and potentially clogging the air filter. Unlike other pre-cleaners, the Sy-Klone pre-cleaner eliminates the need for adjusting the snorkel head or emptying a pre-cleaner that catches debris.
It wasn’t long after we installed a Sy-Klone Series 9000 pre-cleaner to our Ironman 4x4 snorkel that we took a trip from California to Arizona. This 1,100-mile road trip took us on paved highways, dusty desert trails, and also unexpectedly through multiple heavy downpours and even a stint driving in freshly falling snow.
Aside from learning that you never know what kinds of weather springtime in Arizona will throw at you, we also learned first-hand that the Sy-Klone was a reassuring addition to our Land Cruiser’s snorkel setup. No matter what we encountered on the road, we didn’t need to pull over to deal with it. The Sy-Klone got us through dust clouds, swarms of flying bugs, drenching rain and dumping snow without flinching.
At the completion of our journey, we found that our airbox only had a light dusting of dirt and a few particles of debris. While the truck itself was covered with bug splatters and thick globs of red mud, there were no signs of moisture or any larger pieces of debris or bugs in the airbox, and the air filter looked a lot cleaner than we expected it to.
Although the enclosed pre-cleaner isn’t as free-flowing as a ram head, we did not feel any appreciable power loss nor notice any loss in fuel economy.
A word about the cost of the pre-cleaner. It isn’t cheap. At $230, the Sy-Klone costs almost as much as our entire $300 Ironman 4x4 snorkel. Some would say it’s crazy to spend that much on an add-on upgrade for a snorkel.
After getting to experience and see the benefits of the Sy-Klone, we’d say that it lines up with our “buy once, cry once” budget build thinking.
Our 25-year-old OVR LC100 may be a budget build, but we believe in choosing quality components that will make the ownership of a vehicle less expensive in the long term. By preventing unfiltered air from entering the snorkel, this pre-cleaner helps extend the life of the engine’s air filter and reduces the risk of engine damage caused by dust and debris.
Between air filter replacements and prolonged engine life longevity, the Sy-Klone can easily pay for itself by providing clean, cold air during its many years of service. It’s worth noting that the Sy-Klone pre-cleaner requires no maintenance. Simply set it and forget it.
The Sy-Klone Series 9000 off-road snorkel pre-cleaner has proven to be a great addition to the Land Cruiser. It reduced the wind noise when compared to the original ram head we had for a quieter drive and gives us worry-free use so we can concentrate on the journey.
Sy-Klone Series 9001 Air Pre-cleaner
MSRP: $230
URL: snorkelupgrade.com
Read More About the OVR LC100 Budget Build by Clicking Here!
For more informative articles like this, consider subscribing to OVR Magazine in print or digital versions here. You can also find the print edition of OVR at your local newsstand by using our Magazine Finder.
No comments yet