I'm looking to get either a CAI or snorkel for my 09 2 dr X.. Throttle response, horsepower gains, and optimum gas mileage are my main goals.. However, everyone seems to have their own theories about which of the two would be the best way to achieve these.. A CAI seems great, but I want to be able to play in the wet stuff without hydrolocking!! A snorkel seems great as well, but would I be sacrificing gas mileage, being that my JK is mostly a daily driver? I refuse to leave it stock, because we all know our beloved JKs are underpowered and inefficiant as hell!! Exhaust upgrades will be soon to follow.. Superchips will be added either before or at the same time as the new intake.. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

I have a CAI but if your going to play in the wet stuff more often then get a snorkel and AFE makes a drop in replacement filter for the stock air box that will better than a K&N filter replacement. With a snorkel and the AFE filter you could probably get the best of both worlds.

In my case i hardly play in the water, and the water stuff I do is running my JK through flooded streets when it pours

 

Get a Volant Cai / Snorkel combo!!!

 

X2 on that, I have run a K&N drop in filter since day 1 then when I added my River Raider snorkel my fuel mileage and power increased.

 

Snorkel, you won't gain throttle response or low end torque with a CAI, in my opinion. Throttle response and torque are based of air velocity, not volume (horsepower). So you stand to lose some low end and trade for top of the rpm band power (useless to me).

 

You don't need a snorkle. The problem with hydro locking is in the factory air box. The drain holes are way to small to let the water out once it floods. I know i've been ther with mine.

A CAI open element filter solves that problem just fine.

 

Nobody needs a snorkel until they hydrolock their engine Kind of a one-shot "need". I have muddy water up to my throttle body in the intake plumbing. I stay fairly clear from water unless it's low speed.

 

Get rid of the air box all together. Don't make the holes bigger. You want the water to splash off the open filter. The factory box traps water in and lets the engine suck it in.

 

If you want to go threw puddles that completly cover your tires, get a snorkle

 

And if you get enough water around that filter with a 3.8L vacuum spinning at 2000rpm ,you may have an issue.

Regardless, there is no "calculated or set" way to say someone needs a snorkel or not. It is all dependent upon the exact conditions, speed, rpm, air dam on the front, deep water, shallow water, hood pad, no hood, pad, fan on, fan off, who knows.. However, there is no situation where you will say the snorkel caused the hydrolocking.

I've been in 35" of water with the stock air box, very slowly. If I that at a few mph, I'd probably have a different engine by now.