bootxj

Need to upgrade from my k&n intake. Wondering about the pros and cons for a cowl vs snorkel. I live in south Florida so think "thick swamp mud and water" I don't plan on going over my hood in water anytime soon, but it's a possibility.

Any suggestions? Right now I'm looking at $150 to snorkel, 180 for cowl induction.

exjay1027

you could make yourself a cowl for practically nothing

bootxj

Stock parts are gone. Runnin a k&n intake. Granted there's a decent jy up the street with a lot of xjs. But your response didn't answer my question.

Looking for pros and cons, not price point

exjay1027

well you mentioned the prices you were looking at so I assumed that those were a factor in your decision.

pros of cowl: hidden, stock looking, does the job
cons: idk

pros of snorkel: higher, but i never understood why it needs to be so high. if the water's that high you have bigger problems
cons: ugly and can be smashed

XJriot

Don't you have to cut in to your firewall for a cowl filter? That seems to be a pretty big con for most people.

ZINGGG

You do have to. It's a pro though since it is simple to cut into it with the right tools and it's the dry side of the cowl so no problem with sucking in water. Not to mention the air you're sucking in is going to be cooler than stock and you do away with the stock intake, making more than enough room for a second battery

bootxj

Every now and again you WILL dunk your hood under water, if you wheel in south Florida. That's a given. I've done it with a stock air box, and with my intake. No issues, crapped myself a few times.....anyone want a drivers seat? Lol!!!!

I've yet to dunk to my windshield. Considering I'm on 5+ inches of lift, on 31in MTs. (yah 33-35s are next). Not worried about banging against trees, mud here is soupy, thick, globs of gator ****, that smells. Your not hitting a tree, and wtf are rocks?

Just looking to see what works, and what's best for straight mud and water. Cowl or snorkel?

bootxj

This! Finally! Any issues with rain? Hurricanes Are a b!tch. Plus the random torrential downpours. Imma big fan of oxygen, spark and some kind of fuel. Doesn't mix well with water

ZINGGG

You're right, it wouldn't mix well with water. Well, it hasn't yet rained since I put on the cowl intake (did it 9 days ago). So I can't tell you from experience but there won't be any issues. I put a small bit of RTV on the piece of the intake that mates with the firewall and that side of the cowl is dry. So no water will be sucked in.

Oh another thing with a cowl intake is the extra noise inside the cab you're going to get (which is pretty damn loud). It's the person's opinion that makes that either a pro or con. I for one find it awesome.

Cherokee9t8

I personally prefer the cowl intake, and I ran one all last year in my XJ. Total homemade cost was maybe $30 for everything. I run a police spotlight through my drivers windshield pillar so can't really run a snorkel anyways. I never had any issues with my cowl intake, and I'd had water come over the hood too many times to count, and also worked fine through the winter.

Yes cutting the firewall can be a bit nerving to some people but no one sees that hole anyway. With a snorkel you have to cut a hole in the fender for the pipe to come through, which is even more obvious than the firewall lol. I've since picked up another XJ and have done the same swap onto it. Really it's up to you though, as a lot of people tend to choose the snorkel as they prefer the look, where as I like the discreet look of a cowl.

ZINGGG

Oh and not to mention, on summitracing.com they sell the Spectre intake for $150 free shipping. So IF price was a factor...