The innovative fabrication design of the Ram TRX air intake system

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Water seeping into an internal combustion engine is not good for any automobile’s prospects for survival.

If enough of it makes it past the air filter and throttle body then proceeds to accumulate in a larger measure than a cylinder’s minimum capacity at the top of a piston’s thrust, the rotating assembly will stop rotating in short order.

It’s a state called hydrolock, and it’s the bane of river-fording vehicles and reckless flood adventurers (I’m looking at you, brother-in-law Kris) everywhere. Unable to complete its stroke, the piston’s connecting rod bends and jams and the engine seizes, rendering it a very heavy paperweight.

One solution for 4x4s that might see deep water is a snorkel. Rather than pull air from the hood or below, it’s designed to get the air above the vehicle's roof. The problem is they don’t actually work that well. They hurt engine efficiency, they hang up on branches, and not everyone digs how they look.

The evil scientists at Ram came up with an elegant solution for the air intake on the TRX, its new off-road beast.

Rocking a 702-HP Hellcat engine, it needs all the clean air it can get. Not only does it suck in a ton of air, but it also uses a system of multiple air entry points and baffles and, with an assist from gravity and air pressure, feeds the engine clean, dry air.

In this video I take the lid off the system and show it to you from the inside. I’m a sucker for problem-solving via engineering and fabrication.

Detroit metal fabricator and owner of Brown Dog Welding Josh Welton explains in his most recent video blog how the Ram TRX’s air intake system works through creative fabrication design – and why it's perfect for off-roading. Image provided by Josh Welton