Hooker Blackheart offers exhaust for the 2011-2014 5.0-liter Mustang
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Holley Performance Products
If you recently picked up a first-gen Coyote Mustang, you might be looking for a new exhaust system to enhance its performance and personality. Sure there are plenty of options available for the 2011-2014 Mustang GT, but more choices are always good for the enthusiast. The latest company to throw its hat in the modern 5.0 exhaust ring is Hooker.
Hooker’s Blackheart long-tube headers are available with 1 3/4-inch (PN 70103303-RHKR; $899.95) primaries or 1 7/8-inch primaries (PN 70103302-RHKR; $999.95) depending on how much exhaust flow your combo needs. For naturally aspirated bolt-ons, the 1 3/4 headers should be plenty. If you want to max things out and go for a power adder, pick up the 1 7/8 headers. According to Hooker, you can install either set without dropping the K-member.
Hooker now offers a wide variety of exhaust upgrades for the Coyote Mustang as part of its Blackheart series, which is gear toward modern muscle cars.
“All Hooker Blackheart products are constructed of lightweight, 18-gauge, 304 stainless steel material maximizing strength and durability, while tube geometry is designed for maximum ground clearance,†says the company. “All Hooker Blackheart headers feature 3/8-inch laser-cut header flanges for maximum strength and a perfect sealing surface. The long tube headers are available with 1 3/4 or 1 7/8-inch primaries and have long transition collectors featuring merge spears for increased exhaust velocity.â€
You can get a sample of how the axle-back and cat-back systems sound right here…
Shown in that clip is the axle-back system with mufflers, but Hooker also offers this system without mufflers and as part of complete cat-back exhaust system. For maximum exhaust flow, you can also front these systems with Hooker’s Blackheart long-tubes, in the aforementioned 1 3/4– and 1 7/8-inch primaries, depending on your combination’s needs.
If you want a bit more performance and a much easier installation, Hooker’s Blackheart short-tube headers (PN 70303301-RHKR; $539.95) are the move. They feature 1 7/8-inch primaries and 304 stainless steel construction just like their long-tube big brothers.Whether you upgrade the headers or not, you can opt for the Hooker Blackheart 3-inch cat-back with an X-Pipe (PN 70503301-RHKR; $1,149.95). Built from 3-inch, 18-gauge, 304 stainless tubing, the cat-back. It feeds the Blackheart mufflers, which expel through 4-inch polished tips emblazoned with the Hooker Blackheart logoAvailable as part of just an axle-back for those that want to easily upgrade the factory mufflers, this Hooker Blackheart system is said to deliver an aggressive tone when you accelerate, but mellow when the car is at idle.Don’t think the axle-back with mufflers just offers a better sound. According to the test on its parent company’s in-house Dynojet, this kit with deliver peak-to-peak gains of 11.03 horsepower and 8.59 lb-ft of torque, with under the curve gains of 14 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque.If the axle-back with mufflers is too tame, Hooker Blackheart also offers its axle-back (PN 70403301-RHKR; $499.95) with muffler-free straight pipes.Interestingly, the company’s testing showed that the muffler-free system delivered slightly smaller peak-to-peak gains of 1 horsepower and 2.69 lb-ft of torque. Its under the curve gains topped out at 9 horsepower and 10 lb-ft of torque.
