Airflow Snorkels - Aussie Opinions?

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pathfinder_88

pathfinder_88

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 20, 2007
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102
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473
Location
Kelowna, BC
I've been shopping around for any cheaper alternatives to Safari Snorkels. I came across Airflow Snorkels in Aus and it seems I can have one on my door step for under $350 vs the Safari for about $550. The Safari looks a bit higher in quality but the Airflow still looks decent. Are they OK?

I've seen a couple snorkels with circular tops on them...not sure who makes them though.
 
In my opinion Airflow are junk. Does not compare to Safari. The one that came with my BJ40 was ill-fitting, attachment methods a joke, just generally cheap and nasty. It's actually going out with the garbage to where it belongs.
 
rockcrawler said:
In my opinion Airflow are junk. Does not compare to Safari. The one that came with my BJ40 was ill-fitting, attachment methods a joke, just generally cheap and nasty. It's actually going out with the garbage to where it belongs.
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X2 If you want it water tight and durable, then BYO or get one made for you out of SS or muffler pipe (powder coated after it's made). It'll likely be cheaper than the Safari.
 
Well, I don't know if I'm going to be quite as nasty about my assessment of the Airflow snorkel as the previous posters. ;) I ordered one for my 12H-T converted 80 series because: 1) I was curious, 2) the price was good, and most importantly 3) I liked the smaller body of the snorkel that showed outside the panel. It also looked like it stayed away from the power antenna that is on the snorkel side here in NA much better than the larger bodied Safari snorkel.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2761859&l=31b408d789&id=527236206

What I DON'T like about the Airflow is:

1) Poorer fit and finish - the seams don't match up as nicely as in the Safari.
2) Aesthetics - the air ram and grill are butt ugly.
3) Most importantly - I didn't like how many sharp angles the corrugated hose needed to make in my fender to attach to the airbox.

What I did like...
1) The more low-key smaller profile of the snorkel body.
2) The excellent communication and service I received from the Oz company I ordered it from.

Of course this is for an 80 series...not sure about other applications.

I had a Safari snorkel and Donaldson cyclonic filter "hat" on my BJ74...and really, it's hard to beat the fit and finish and compatibility of a Safari snorkel...they just have lousy templates and "instructions" that come with them.

HTH.
:beer:
 
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Thanks guys! From looking at the pics of the airflow it did look lighter duty than the Safari...was just a question of by how much. Seems the Safari may be worth the extra $200. As an aside, is anyone aware of Safari suppliers in the Okanagan to avoid shipping costs?
 
pathfinder_88 said:
Thanks guys! From looking at the pics of the airflow it did look lighter duty than the Safari...was just a question of by how much. Seems the Safari may be worth the extra $200. As an aside, is anyone aware of Safari suppliers in the Okanagan to avoid shipping costs?
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Safari is an ARB product so any authorized ARB dealer can bring it in for you. The closet to you may be Cap-it in Kamloops. Check-out the ARB USA page to find a dealer closest to you. Myself, if I were to buy one, I would shop around a bit. You might get a good deal on shipping and a better price than Cap-it.
 
Ive seen some nice home made ones recently that are far stronger and cheaper than either of the other 2 .
Easier to repair if they do get damaged
 
Im pretty sure airflow have just come out with new designs on the snorkels,i remember seeing them somewhere.
And i reckon i saw an add for another new brand the other day,maybe ironman?
 
The one that was fitted to mine had undergone several fixes by the PO to keep it on there, in fact when I picked the cruiser up he took it off as he didn't trust it (from experience I guess). The top bracket is fixed by self tappers going into plastic and that's pretty much what supports the whole thing. On the bottom its clamped on by a plastic bracket that is in itself screwed into the panel by self tappers. This might be ok for "mall cruising" (I would not trust it even for that) but its certainly not secure enough to go out bush with. Apart from that there was no way from stopping it rubbing on the louver. So there you have my reasons for calling it "junk". True I have not seen snorkels for other models but if mine is anything to go by I would not recommend this brand to anyone.
 
goldchaser said:
Im pretty sure airflow have just come out with new designs on the snorkels,i remember seeing them somewhere.
And i reckon i saw an add for another new brand the other day,maybe ironman?
Click to expand...

Good find and yes it is Ironman and only $297AUD for a 7* series:grinpimp:

Ironman Suspension Dealer - Airforce Snorkels

snorkel.jpg
 
Yeah thanks rosco,good price hey!
If the quality is as good as it looks they'll take some sales off safari.
 
Its got that nice chunky look;)
 
rockcrawler said:
The one that was fitted to mine had undergone several fixes by the PO to keep it on there, in fact when I picked the cruiser up he took it off as he didn't trust it (from experience I guess). The top bracket is fixed by self tappers going into plastic and that's pretty much what supports the whole thing. On the bottom its clamped on by a plastic bracket that is in itself screwed into the panel by self tappers. This might be ok for "mall cruising" (I would not trust it even for that) but its certainly not secure enough to go out bush with. Apart from that there was no way from stopping it rubbing on the louver. So there you have my reasons for calling it "junk". True I have not seen snorkels for other models but if mine is anything to go by I would not recommend this brand to anyone.
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My 80 series Airflow snorkel is NOT held on to the front fender with self-tappers. There are a few double ended bolts that screw onto the back of the snorkel body with captive nuts and then are secured behind the fender with self-locking nuts. The top bracket is held in place with a bolt going into a captive nut in the snorkel and a couple of screws into plastic fittings in the A pillar.

In this manner, it is very similar to the Safari Snorkels and is not a negative to the Airflow design IMO. If you don't trust the way the Airflow snorkel is secured onto your vehicle, then you won't trust the way Safari is secured either...because the two are very similar that way (and as previously stated, I've owned both and we do have a lot of trees in our trails here in BC). In fact, many here skip those plastic fittings in the A pillar and go straight to Zerc (sp?) fittings.

:beer:
 
Stone said:
My 80 series Airflow snorkel is NOT held on to the front fender with self-tappers. There are a few double ended bolts that screw onto the back of the snorkel body with captive nuts and then are secured behind the fender with self-locking nuts. The top bracket is held in place with a bolt going into a captive nut in the snorkel and a couple of screws into plastic fittings in the A pillar.

In this manner, it is very similar to the Safari Snorkels and is not a negative to the Airflow design IMO. If you don't trust the way the Airflow snorkel is secured onto your vehicle, then you won't trust the way Safari is secured either...because the two are very similar that way (and as previously stated, I've owned both and we do have a lot of trees in our trails here in BC). In fact, many here skip those plastic fittings in the A pillar and go straight to Zerc (sp?) fittings.

:beer:
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Is this an Airflow or TJM Airtec?

Certainly sounds like some of them have been installed in a shoddy fashion. I dont like the looks of the Airtec but I cant say Ive heard any complaints about leakage until now
 
roscoFJ73 said:
Is this an Airflow or TJM Airtec?

Certainly sounds like some of them have been installed in a shoddy fashion. I dont like the looks of the Airtec but I cant say Ive heard any complaints about leakage until now
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Trivia: I heard that the day before yesterday that TJM had a fire in their facility in Australia. They managed to save the warehouse but lost all their office space. Rosco, you might be able to get in on a fire sale - if the warehouse had any damage. I heard all was insured, so you'd just be helping the insurance company to offset their costs.
 
Stone said:
My 80 series Airflow snorkel is NOT held on to the front fender with self-tappers. There are a few double ended bolts that screw onto the back of the snorkel body with captive nuts and then are secured behind the fender with self-locking nuts. The top bracket is held in place with a bolt going into a captive nut in the snorkel and a couple of screws into plastic fittings in the A pillar.

In this manner, it is very similar to the Safari Snorkels and is not a negative to the Airflow design IMO. If you don't trust the way the Airflow snorkel is secured onto your vehicle, then you won't trust the way Safari is secured either...because the two are very similar that way (and as previously stated, I've owned both and we do have a lot of trees in our trails here in BC). In fact, many here skip those plastic fittings in the A pillar and go straight to Zerc (sp?) fittings.

:beer:
Click to expand...

My Airflow snorkel is (was) not secured like the Safari snorkel Stone. At the bottom all that holds it in place is a plastic friction clamp around the tube that the intake hose attaches to. There are no captive nuts or even enough plastic to attach self tappers to it on the bottom part of the "L" if you were trying to make it a bit more secure. So you can grab the corner of the "L" and pull it a few inches from the vehicle without a problem. So even "properly" secured its a very wobbly and vibrating affair. What can I say? Its just a piece of ****. :lol:
 
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