Why I installed a Snorkel on My Thar
“Sixty river crossings?”
That was my first reaction when our Thar Bengaluru 4x4 group started planning our Upper Mustang and Manang expedition in Nepal. Our co-ordinator in Nepal mentioned that the route could have nearly 60 river crossings.
My immediate thought was: “Are we taking Thars to Nepal, or teaching them swimming?” 😄
And suddenly, the snorkel became a topic of serious discussion.
But before talking about why I decided to install one, let's first understand what a snorkel actually does.
How does a stock Thar breathe?
An engine needs air for combustion. In the stock Thar, air enters through the factory intake at the front of the vehicle and travels through the intake duct to the airbox. The air then passes through the air filter, which removes dust and other particles. From there, the filtered air goes through the turbocharging and intercooling system before entering the engine.
So the stock Thar already has a proper air-intake and filtration system. A snorkel does not replace this system. It simply relocates the point from which the intake draws air from outside.
Why does raising the intake matter?
Imagine driving a convoy on a dry gravel road. The Thar in front throws up dust, and suddenly you're driving through what looks like a small desert storm.
In these conditions, the air closer to the road can contain a higher concentration of suspended dust. The stock intake is positioned relatively low, whereas a snorkel moves the intake opening much higher, usually towards the top of the A-pillar.
That higher position can place the intake in a less dusty part of the airflow.
And anyone who has driven behind twenty Thars on a dry trail knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Sometimes you're not following the Thar in front.
You're eating it. 😄
Of course, the snorkel doesn't magically remove dust. The air still has to pass through the air filter. What the snorkel does is give the engine a higher and potentially cleaner source of intake air.
And then there is water
This is probably the reason most people associate snorkels with off-roading. By raising the intake opening, a properly installed snorkel can reduce the risk of water entering the engine during a water crossing.
Well, the offroading world has a famous quote:
“A snorkel does not make your 4x4 a submarine.”
Yes…Water depth, current, entry and exit points, vehicle speed, different components and driving technique all matter. Other components of the vehicle also need to be considered before attempting a deep crossing.
And the snorkel itself has to be properly sealed. If there is a leak somewhere between the snorkel head and the airbox, the engine can draw air through that leak—and potentially bring dust or water with it.
So a snorkel is only as good as its design, installation and sealing.
So why did I put one on my Thar now? I had survived with my Thar for five years
I've used my Thar for five years without a snorkel. I've done trails, water crossings and expeditions without one.
So this isn't about suddenly discovering that a Thar cannot survive without a snorkel. I have also suffered once without using a snorkel. After which I have been very careful during water wading.
Now it's about preparing for a different kind of journey.
The Upper Mustang–Manang expedition is a long Himalayan expedition, with changing terrain, dusty tracks and potentially numerous river crossings. Driving in places like Nepal, leh, Tibet at high altitude, the air is thinner and oxygen levels are lower. Cooler, denser intake air helps the engine breathe better and supports combustion especially when climbing at altitude. When I'm preparing the vehicle for something like this, I start looking at the small things that can add another layer of protection or practicality.
A snorkel gives me a higher air-intake point. That can be useful in dusty conditions and gives me more margin during water crossings. It can also draw air from outside the hot engine-bay area.
So, after five years without one, my thinking is not:
“I should have installed this five years ago.”
It's more:
“I'm going somewhere different now. Maybe it's time to prepare the Thar differently.”
And there is another simple reason.
Sometimes you don't buy equipment because you desperately need it. You buy it because the next adventure gives you a reason to have it.
That's exactly where I am with the snorkel. Every modification should have a purpose.
I wasn't interested in putting a snorkel on the Thar simply because it makes the vehicle look more aggressive.
Although, I have to admit...It does look good. 😄
I've seen plenty of Thars with cheap fibre/plastic snorkels. Honestly, I was never particularly impressed with some of the fibre/plastic snorkels I had seen. If the only purpose was to make the Thar look more adventurous, I'd probably spend the money somewhere else. I wasn't looking for the cheapest snorkel. At the same time, I wasn't looking to pay extra simply because something had an international brand name.
For an expedition vehicle, my questions were simple: Does it fit properly? Is the finish good? Can it be sealed properly? Will I trust it when I'm hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest workshop?
After looking at the options available for the new Thar, Snorkel from BigBull Adventures was the most effective and impressive choice which was also a value for money.
But will I actually need it?
That's the interesting part.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Perhaps we'll reach Mustang and discover that those famous river crossings are just little streams where we stop for photographs.
Or perhaps the Himalayas will remind us very quickly who is in charge. 😄
With the Nepal floods, snorkel is now an expedition kit… and a rafting boat might be the backup vehicle! 😂🚙🌊
Either way, I'd rather have the equipment and not need it than need it and wish I had installed it.
That's how I look at modifications: Prepare first. Show off later.
The questions I had before installing it:
There was another reason I was curious about the BigBull snorkel.
The BigBull snorkel comes with a stainless-steel pipe connected to BMC Air box and an performance BMC cone filter, and my good friend Vinay, who runs BigBull Adventures, has spent a lot of time developing and testing these snorkels. In fact, he probably wouldn't have faced as many questions from anyone else as he did from me! 😄
Because I wasn't simply looking at the snorkel from the outside. I wanted to understand why it was designed the way it was.
My biggest question was actually quite simple:
Why can't we connect the snorkel directly to the stock Thar airbox?
If the original airbox can be retained, wouldn't that make the system simpler—and reduce the overall cost considerably?
Instead, the BigBull setup uses a BMC performance air-filter arrangement.
That made me even more curious.
I started asking Vinay questions about the intake design, the airflow path, filtration and why he chose this particular arrangement instead of adapting the snorkel to the stock airbox.
For me, this was not about questioning the product for the sake of it.
I wanted to understand the engineering behind the product I was putting on my own Thar.
And perhaps Vinay will agree that he got a little more R&D questioning from me than he expected! 😄
That, for me, is what makes this upgrade interesting.
What looks like a simple snorkel from the outside actually involves several decisions about airflow, filtration, heat, durability, fitment and intake design.
So, rather than just saying “this snorkel looks good”, I wanted to understand the engineering behind it.
Why stainless steel?
Why a DIA BMC airbox?
Why a BMC filter?
Why not the stock airbox?
And how does the complete system work together?
That's what I'll explore in my next blog:
“Inside the BigBull Snorkel — How It Has Been Engineered”
Stay tuned….
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