With Hooker’s BlackHeart exhaust for the Jeep Wrangler JKU – increased horsepower, superior quality, and satisfying exhaust notes are the obvious benefits for sure.
But for me personally, added GROUND CLEARANCE was the main attraction.
Good old-fashion off-road shenanigans can turn to concern & confusion in literally a snap.
Picture this: A rock gets spun sideways by your rear tire on a climb… and shoehorns itself between your exhaust & your gas tank. You can’t go forward; can’t back up. The gas tank is 1-wrong-move from puncture. This was the situation my friend found himself in the last time we hit the trails. And it took an hour to dig & winch our way free.
When it comes down to it, Jeeping is a survivalist game. It’s all about ultimately protecting the ship, and skating through whatever may come with at least some hidden level of strategy & preparedness. Sure, you can get more ground clearance by ‘adding more & more lift’ to your 4×4. But as car enthusiasts already know, that also raises your center of gravity. Which increases rollover risk. No bueno.
So – add the lift that you need to get the job done, sure… but also SUCK IT IN.
Meaning if you can tuck parts further up in the chassis… that equals more ground clearance!!! And it’s especially helpful when it’s behind the rear axles, since that’s the point where you’re committed, whether it was a good idea or not! And as the rear wheels drop off that ledge/rock and the suspension is compressed, you need any extra clearance you can get at the rear.
Pulling the Hooker exhaust out of the box and comparing it to OE, you immediately see the advantages. The Hooker BlackHeart exhaust is much lighter, and way more compact. I’ve installed a lot of exhausts in my day, and this was hands-down the most fluid install, with great-yet-simple directions to walk you through the order of things (a rarity in the aftermarket).
All the components are stainless steel & slide naturally into place, meaning you won’t have to fight/twist the forces of nature in order to dial-in positioning of the muffler and/or exhaust tip. You can really tell that there are no corners cut with the Hooker system… and throughout the install, you start to appreciate & understand why there is such longevity behind the brand.
Made in Bowling Green, KY, the sound of the Hooker BlackHeart system is perfect for the Jeep application. It’s not ‘wake the neighbors’ loud. It’s subtle at idle & cruising speeds… and burley under power.
