Spring Touring Prep: Get Your 4WD's Air Intake Sorted Before the Season Starts

September is here. The days are getting longer, the tracks are drying out and the trip planning has started. Before you load the fridge and air down the tyres, spend half an hour on the one system your engine cannot live without. The air intake.

Start with a post-winter once-over

Winter is hard on intakes. Water sits in low points, mud dries inside ducting and mice love a warm airbox. Pop the bonnet and check three things. First, the filter. Hold it up to the light. If you cannot see through it, replace it. Second, the ducting. Look for cracked joints, perished rubber and loose clamps between the intake and the turbo. Third, the airbox itself. Factory plastic boxes draw air from behind the guard, right where water and dust get thrown up. If there is silt sitting in the bottom of yours, that is what your engine has been breathing.

Why spring is snorkel time

Winter rain leaves rivers up and ruts full of water well into spring. A snorkel moves your intake point from behind the guard to roof height, so a bow wave on a crossing pulls in air instead of water. It helps in the dry too. Once summer arrives and the dust is back, a raised intake sits above the worst of it, which means cleaner air and longer filter life on outback runs.

Every Canna Fabrication snorkel is made in Melbourne from 304 stainless steel and TIG welded by hand, so it will not fade, crack or go chalky like plastic. Short-entry snorkels for the Hilux N70, N80 and N90, Navara NP300, Ranger PX, D-Max MY20-26, BT-50 MY21-26 and Amarok MY11-22 start at $899 in a 4 inch brushed silver finish, with black and No Welds Showing options available. Running something bigger? The LandCruiser 76/78/79 Series 5 inch snorkel starts at $1349, and there are fitments for the 80 Series, 200 Series, Patrol GQ, GU and Y62, Next-Gen Ranger and Ranger Raptor, Colorado RG and the Ineos Grenadier. Every one is covered by a lifetime warranty.

Finish the job with a sealed airbox

A snorkel feeds clean air to the airbox, but a factory box with loose clips and soft seals can still let dust sneak past. Our aftermarket airboxes are made from 2.5mm 5005 aluminium and sealed properly, with single or twin pod filter options. The Navara NP300 airbox starts at $1150, the Ranger PX V2 at $1199 and the LandCruiser 76/78/79 V8 twin pod airbox at $1399. Pair one with a snorkel and the full intake path is sorted, from roof height to the engine.

Sort it now, not the night before

Every spring we see the same rush. The trip is booked, the mates are ready and the snorkel order lands a week before departure. Give yourself a head start this year. Order early, get it fitted properly and spend the week before the trip packing instead of panicking.

Made in Melbourne. Lifetime warranty. Afterpay available. If you are not sure which snorkel suits your rig, email us at info@cannafab.com.au, 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday, and we will point you at the right fitment.

Shop stainless steel snorkels and get your intake ready before touring season kicks off.