Borne Off-Road Snorkel R&D Thread

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Mishimoto

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Hey Guys,

Nick here from Mishimoto/Borne Off-Road, to kick off our R&D thread and bring you the first installment of our Ranger Snorkel blog. As always, make sure to head over to our Engineering Blog for the full scoop!


Higher Plane - Snorkel R&D, Part 1 - Introduction


NLT_0220-scaled.jpg


By today's standards, the latest iteration of the Ford Ranger is tiny. Lined up next to Ford's Super Duty offerings, or even the F-150, the mid-sized, 4-cylinder pickup looks more like a toy than a truck. What it lacks in physical stature, the Ranger more than makes up for in potential. The small stature plays very well to the Ranger's advantage. First off, not everyone who wants a truck needs something that can tow the moon out of orbit or have the payload capacity to throw the Statue of Liberty in the bed. Second, the fact that it's small means that it can navigate trickier paths, from narrow city streets to single track off-road trails, making it a more than capable do-anything truck. Since it has such potential, though, there's plenty to be done to make the Ranger a little more do-anything-er.

Right out of the box, the Ranger is ready to tackle most terrain. I say most because even though Ford's off-road trims include chunkier tires and adaptive terrain driving modes, there are still some additional bits of kit you'll need to fully unlock the Ranger's offroading potential. Specifically, with the addition of a snorkel. Installing a snorkel onto your offroader has plenty of benefits. With the correct sealing procedures, it effectively increases the depth of water crossings your Ford can ford. Since the intake's induction point is now at the roof's height, the water level can rise to new heights on the Ranger without the worry of hydrolock.

NLT_9558.jpg


To learn more about the other benefits of adding a snorkel, make sure that you head over to the Engineering Blog! We'll also have more info very soon on the plans for our snorkel kit in the coming weeks, so make sure to stay tuned. For a quick sneak peek though, we know that cutting into the hood isn't a very popular option, so we're making sure that part is out of the installation process. More to come soon!

As always, feel free to shoot over any questions that you might have!

-Nick
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Racket

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Mishimoto I enjoy watching your build ups, especially the research and development.

(Looking forward to my intercooler pipes)
 

Abjectwoe

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Just thought of this:

How will this work in conjunction with the mishimoto intake (which I have) vs the stock one?
 

Frenchy

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Just thought of this:

How will this work in conjunction with the mishimoto intake (which I have) vs the stock one?
It most likely wont work with it what so ever. The idea of the offroad snorkel is to go from The fender to the side of the intake box(bottom half of the factory box). ARB has done this already but to my understanding Mishimoto is planning to not cut a big hole in the fender making it fairly reversible if ever needed. If you want or like to go offroad and want a snorkel(which in general is a good idea) you will most likely need the factory air box anf if you do one of the CAI kits most likely the only one that will work is tue Roush CAI.
 


slowmachine

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For an intake snorkel to be of any use, the rest of the vehicle must be able to withstand submersion in water that is deeper than the height of the factory air intake. Is the Ranger capable of this? My owner’s manual says “Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.”
 
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VoodooRanger

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For an intake snorkel to be of any use, the rest of the vehicle must be able to withstand submersion in water that is deeper than the height of the factory air intake. Is the Ranger capable of this? My owner’s manual says “Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.”
That's my dilemma with the snorkel, for water fording it's completely useless. If I have to worry about the intake sucking up water, that means my alternator is already submerged, and by then I am screwed anyways. And looking in the engine bay, I can't see how relocating the alternator is even possible. While I wouldn't be fording through mud/muddy water, I also do not want to risk it through even the clearest water.
 

slowmachine

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That's my dilemma with the snorkel, for water fording it's completely useless. If I have to worry about the intake sucking up water, that means my alternator is already submerged, and by then I am screwed anyways. And looking in the engine bay, I can't see how relocating the alternator is even possible. While I wouldn't be fording through mud/muddy water, I also do not want to risk it through even the clearest water.
I think it bears repeating, "A fool and his money are soon parted!"
 

Frenchy

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For an intake snorkel to be of any use, the rest of the vehicle must be able to withstand submersion in water that is deeper than the height of the factory air intake. Is the Ranger capable of this? My owner’s manual says “Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.”
You are not wrong about the Water part but that is not the only reason for a snorkel. They are also there to help reduce the amount of dirt and stuff get into the intake when offroad.
 

slowmachine

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You are not wrong about the Water part but that is not the only reason for a snorkel. They are also there to help reduce the amount of dirt and stuff get into the intake when offroad.
You may prove me wrong with some empirical data that shows a meaningful benefit toward reducing “dirt and stuff” in the intake, but I doubt that anyone will put in any more effort than reading the unsubstantiated advertising claims of this, or any other, add-on intake snorkel. It is a red herring. “Adding a snorkel to your Ranger is about much more than appearing adventurous.” I’ll believe it when I see it.
 

VoodooRanger

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You are not wrong about the Water part but that is not the only reason for a snorkel. They are also there to help reduce the amount of dirt and stuff get into the intake when offroad.
I understand that there is also the added benefit when desert running amongst other trucks. I was just commenting/agreeing when it came to the part that Mishimoto stated, "With the correct sealing procedures, it effectively increases the depth of water crossings your Ford can ford. Since the intake's induction point is now at the roof's height, the water level can rise to new heights on the Ranger without the worry of hydrolock."

I wish the intake was the limiting factor when it came to water fording with our trucks, then I would be jumping for joy with the development of this snorkel. Mishimoto makes some quality pieces and I am sure their snorkel will be too.
 
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Mishimoto

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Mishimoto I enjoy watching your build ups, especially the research and development.

(Looking forward to my intercooler pipes)
Much appreciated! Those are coming soon!

Just thought of this:

How will this work in conjunction with the mishimoto intake (which I have) vs the stock one?
It most likely wont work with it what so ever. The idea of the offroad snorkel is to go from The fender to the side of the intake box(bottom half of the factory box). ARB has done this already but to my understanding Mishimoto is planning to not cut a big hole in the fender making it fairly reversible if ever needed. If you want or like to go offroad and want a snorkel(which in general is a good idea) you will most likely need the factory air box anf if you do one of the CAI kits most likely the only one that will work is tue Roush CAI.
RE: to both of the above posts - The snorkel will work with our intake with some modification. In essence, the intake kit was already a completed product before the snorkel was even started, so you will still need to modify the box to accept the snorkel inlet, as well as plug the front inlet. At the moment we don't have a more off-road oriented intake planned, but it is something that's on our radar.

For an intake snorkel to be of any use, the rest of the vehicle must be able to withstand submersion in water that is deeper than the height of the factory air intake. Is the Ranger capable of this? My owner’s manual says “Never drive through water that is higher than the bottom of the wheel hubs.”
You may prove me wrong with some empirical data that shows a meaningful benefit toward reducing “dirt and stuff” in the intake, but I doubt that anyone will put in any more effort than reading the unsubstantiated advertising claims of this, or any other, add-on intake snorkel. It is a red herring. “Adding a snorkel to your Ranger is about much more than appearing adventurous.” I’ll believe it when I see it.
I understand that there is also the added benefit when desert running amongst other trucks. I was just commenting/agreeing when it came to the part that Mishimoto stated, "With the correct sealing procedures, it effectively increases the depth of water crossings your Ford can ford. Since the intake's induction point is now at the roof's height, the water level can rise to new heights on the Ranger without the worry of hydrolock."

I wish the intake was the limiting factor when it came to water fording with our trucks, then I would be jumping for joy with the development of this snorkel. Mishimoto makes some quality pieces and I am sure their snorkel will be too.
So, I fear that I over-generalized the proper prep work for getting the Ranger in deeper water, and it something that'll be corrected on the blog post for sure. Sorry about that!

As for the dust/debris aspect, essentially it's putting your induction point less in the way of any dust that's being kicked up, especially when you're in a convoy type situation. Granted, it won't be an end-all solution since there will be dust that gets in, but it will reduce the amount getting through to the filter. Cyclone separators and pre-cleaners are good additions to snorkel equipped vehicles too since filtering out a good amount of dust before going through the intake.

-Nick
 

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Thanks for that clarification Nick. You folks make great products and can't wait to see how it turns out.
 

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From some other thread about water fording capabilities of the NA Ranger, it appears to have all the same vent hoses that the EU/AUS versions have (all being to a height just little below the fuel door). For fording purposes, this puts the intake at about the same capabilities (though still at risk from splashes). Limiting factor is the Alternator being so low on the engine.

Vent hose/alternator information:
 

slowmachine

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Much appreciated! Those are coming soon!




RE: to both of the above posts - The snorkel will work with our intake with some modification. In essence, the intake kit was already a completed product before the snorkel was even started, so you will still need to modify the box to accept the snorkel inlet, as well as plug the front inlet. At the moment we don't have a more off-road oriented intake planned, but it is something that's on our radar.





So, I fear that I over-generalized the proper prep work for getting the Ranger in deeper water, and it something that'll be corrected on the blog post for sure. Sorry about that!

As for the dust/debris aspect, essentially it's putting your induction point less in the way of any dust that's being kicked up, especially when you're in a convoy type situation. Granted, it won't be an end-all solution since there will be dust that gets in, but it will reduce the amount getting through to the filter. Cyclone separators and pre-cleaners are good additions to snorkel equipped vehicles too since filtering out a good amount of dust before going through the intake.

-Nick
A suggestion: While you’re thinking about fording, you’re certain to explore the gaping hole that allows fresh outside air to enter the HVAC system. From several reports, mice and rats have no difficulty entering the system from the outside, and even if you’re not trying to make it water-tight, there is certainly a market for easy-to-install metal screening to keep the critters out. Where I live, we have similar problems with wasps, so screening with small enough holes to block wasp entrance, and also strong enough to prevent rodents from chewing through it, would be very beneficial. I would buy a well-engineered part/kit to fix this problem.
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