I’ve got Slee installing one on my 2016 next week. @indycole’s situation at CM convinced me to move this up the priority list.
I have avoided a snorkel forever because I felt that unless I could truly justify one...it felt like a bro-truck item—and despite having a very beefy truck, I have tried hard to be reasonable...with the exception of 35’s—which I just reduced to 34’s.
Further on avoiding a snorkel...I didn’t plan deep water crossings, and was not convinced my air filter—though often dirty—was dirty enough to call for the cleaner, cooler-intake argument.
So...
Here’s what convinced me.
It wasn’t just Cole’s unfortunate engine demise. It had much more to do with how he arrived in that bummer of a situation.
None of us were looking for or opting for a “deep water crossing.” —And yet twice in three days, we both found ourselves suddenly much deeper than we expected. On Dome Plateau (a fairly tame and fun trail), as we drove through a large “puddle” of super muddy water...we all discovered two very dug-out spots where any of us could have become stuck...as a pretty odd surprise. Two in the group dipped into holes hidden beneath the water’s surface and required winching. One of them was above the door seals in muddy water.
**We would not have known in advance if a 40” monster had dug those holes even deeper...but if they had...we’d have easily been in real trouble.
So that scenario in combination with the hidden hole Cole dropped into was a sobering realization that—deep water crossings are NOT always something you simply choose whether to do or not do. They can unexpectedly drop you in, just as the depth of both these holes surprised all on the trail.
So...this has changed my attitude about protection...because it proves that it’s not necessarily enough to simply “choose” to avoid deep water. Sometimes it just happens, and while I still don’t plan to seek out deep water crossingsfor other reasons (electronics damage and several other considerations)...I now have two vivid examples within three days of how the threat of sudden depth and engine death is not always due to unwise or intentional choices. Things clearly happen, and the potential cost is high enough that I’m ready to buy “snorkel insurance.”
Do I think what happened to Cole is likely to happen to me? Nope. I think it is not likely at all. But with the possibility of a $20k repair bill...a 5.7-specific snorkel is on its way to me from ARB as I type this.
So ya.
Mind...changed.
M
