If you are considering a performance upgrade, exhaust headers might be your most cost-effective move, assuming you haven’t upgraded them already. A good set of headers can allow your engine to breathe so you get more power from it, and Hooker has a long reputation as a header manufacturer with high-quality designs.
How Hooker Headers Improve Performance
Hooker has a long tradition of both long tube headers and traditional exhaust manifolds that increase engine performance by making airflow out of the engine more efficient. This allows your engine to get more out of every reaction and to cycle faster. The exhaust upgrade itself does not make more power, it just lets your vehicle realize the full potential of the engine, intake, and fuel delivery system combined.
That means you will notice some gains if you add a Hooker exhaust setup to an otherwise off-the-line build, but you will probably notice more gains if you have already upgraded your intake, EFI, or engine itself. For many crate upgrades, a good set of headers is the only way to unleash the short block’s full potential.
Complementary Upgrades To Maximize Engine Power
If you are planning on a larger engine overhaul, the key is to match your level of investment across every part of the process from fuel and air delivery to the engine’s ability to produce power, to the exhaust. You can make the most of your results with a balanced upgrade because no one piece will be kept from operating at its peak by the others. As you upgrade more, you’ll need to update other parts to keep up.
That means if you are planning on an addition like a Holley Sniper and you’re on a stock exhaust setup, you should consider an upgrade to a Hooker system. The Sniper itself has a very modular setup that accommodates a range of vehicle models and performance levels, so you can fine-tune it to match your upgrades to things like the spark plugs, allowing you to keep everything operating as efficiently as possible without having to plan for another EFI upgrade that overhauls the entire setup.
Eventually, you will reach a point where getting more power out of an engine will mean either rebuilding or replacing it. At that point, if you’ve fully upgraded your EFI, exhaust, and intake, you can either match the upgrade to that setup or retrofit the entire thing to build other systems around the new engine. The approach is up to you.
Find the Tools You Need To Complete Your Home Garage
Digging into car modification and getting the most out of your ride means setting yourself up to do a lot of the maintenance and care for yourself. Not every driver does every piece of work, but it helps if you can change out parts that need to be replaced regularly, and you never know where your passion can take you. That’s why you need to cultivate a resource that can meet you wherever you are, with supplies that range from oil change kits to engine lifts. Start looking for your part resource today.
