ByOEM exhaust designs have to balance many priorities, including sound output. The result is often a best-case trade-off between regulatory compliance, costs, and performance. To keep your exhaust from throttling your engine’s performance, it’s often necessary to upgrade it to a design that maximizes airflow. If you are making other performance upgrades, improving your exhaust becomes a requirement for getting the gains you expect.
Headers Explained
Headers expand the airflow out of your engine while simplifying the path provided by exhaust tubes to maximize the rate you can put air through the engine. Unlike exhaust manifolds used in OEM designs, airflow efficiency is the top priority. Most OEM designs attempt to balance the efficient use of engine compartment space with performance. As a result, some header upgrades will require extra fitment for some vehicles.
Deciding on the right exhaust headers for a vehicle is a matter of considering the work you will do to make them fit the engine compartment, the size of the tube expansion, and the cost of making the change. Luckily, there are quite a few options, so if one design is too big for your vehicle, there will always be other options.
Hooker Exhaust
If there is one name that stands out among all the part manufacturers that offer headers and other performance exhaust upgrades, it’s Hooker exhaust tubes. They are designed for a simple weld-up installation that works for most vehicles, and they provide you with a distinct look and sound in addition to the performance benefits. When you install a set of Hooker tubes, you take control over your vehicle’s processes even more firmly than before.
Deciding when to upgrade your exhaust is a matter of understanding the balance of systems that work together to make your car go. To get the most out of an exhaust upgrade, you need to be able to bring in as much air as it can put out, and you need to be able to deliver enough fuel to the engine for it to matter.
That’s why the best performance increases come when exhaust upgrades are complemented by something like a combination intake expansion and Holley Sniper installation. The more you do to increase engine power and cycle turnover, the more vital a premium exhaust setup becomes to your overall power output.
Is Your Home Garage Equipped for a Header Installation?
Having the right garage tools is an essential part of the DIY experience for car owners. Every home garage needs a different setup because every DIY mechanic has different priorities. When you plan on doing your own performance part upgrades, you need a robust setup that can handle big jobs. That means common mechanics’ tools, but it also means investing in big pieces like engine hoists and welding tools.
One of the best ways to outfit a garage is to choose your upgrades according to the tools you need. If you have been waiting to add a welding setup until the right job shows up, then installing new exhaust headers will give you the opportunity for a permanent garage expansion. Start looking for everything you need to upgrade your exhaust today.
