[VetteDreamr]

I want to get sidepipes for my car but am unsure which route I should go. My friends try to persuade me to get the hooker sidepipe/headers and then I was told about the patriot side pipes. I want to either buy the hookers or buy the patriot side pipes and a pair of headers. I have been back and forth between the two, leaning more to the patriot due to the hefty cost of hookers compared to the patriots. I have the money to buy the hookers but am just wondering if I would be fine buying the patriots, and spending the extra money I would have spent on the hookers towards maybe an intake and headers. Also do the hooker sidepipes come with mufflers, or do you have to buy those separate?

So please help me make up my mind, post pictures of your sidepipe setup, either the hookers or patriots (All finishes - black, ceramic, chrome). Are you happy with them? What would you suggest?

(Any blue cars with black sidepipes? - I'd like to see what it looks like)

Thanks all

 

[jdmick]

IMO the Hooker headers/sidepipes look WAY better than the Patriots but that's something you'll have to decide for yourself. If I were buying a new setup I'd check out the stainless version. Of couse they're more money than chrome or plated but they'll still look good in a couple of years.

 

[glassbowtie]

IMO the Hooker headers/sidepipes look WAY better than the Patriots but that's something you'll have to decide for yourself. If I were buying a new setup I'd check out the stainless version. Of couse they're more money than chrome or plated but they'll still look good in a couple of years.

:agree: I am in the process of buying the Hand Polished Stainless Steel Hookers. The muffler inserts are sold separately with you choice of reverse flow or glass packs. True they cost more, but they look great and will hold up better than the black, ceramic coated, or chrome version. If figured if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right so that I only have to do it once.

 

[raidmagic]

I think that a hooker would be more fun than a patriot but...oh, wait...your talking about headers, nevermind...:laughing:

 

[VetteDreamr]

How do the ceramic coated hold up? And does a ceramic coated header match ok with a chrome sidepipe?

I'd rather not spend almost 1500 or so on sidepipes when i could just buy a pair of heads and cam for around the same price for more performance. Price has been my primary concern with the hookers, as I could spend 1200 less and get the look, but recieve a product which won't carry the same performance and quality. I've heard a couple of people's patriots and they sound pretty good and look nice. So idk I guess i'm leaning more to the patriots due to the fact that with a nice set of hookers is going to run me much more. Maybe I can find a coupon :laughing:

If you have a video of your sidepipes (either) please post a link. I tried searching but found very few video's for either the hookers or patriots.

 

[Dzrick]

Here's the link to a lot of videos.

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/corvette-videos/ :thumbsup:

 

[Fred Mann]

:agree: I am in the process of buying the Hand Polished Stainless Steel Hookers. The muffler inserts are sold separately with you choice of reverse flow or glass packs. True they cost more, but they look great and will hold up better than the black, ceramic coated, or chrome version. If figured if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right so that I only have to do it once.

SuperVette77, how much are the SS Hookers?

Dreamer, click on "My Videos" for a bunch of Hooker header videos.

 

[WOTstingray]

i have the patriots on mine and im very happy with them they look and sound great :thumbsup:

 

[StillCrazy]

I like the hooker's i had a set on my 67/427 the only problem was people getting the back of their legs burnt if the wern't aware.

 

[VetteDreamr]

Thanks for the videos fred, car sounds amazing.

Nice care wotstingray, they do look good

One thing I heard about the patriots was that they wouldn't be good for cars with higher hp numbers. I was not quite sure why, the input diameter is 2" which doesn't seem too bad. Could someone explain that to me.

Thanks for everyones information, much appreciated. I love this place :cheers:

 

[VetteDreamr]

Anyone know if the patriots inhibit performance?

 

[CorvDave01]

The first vette I ever road in was a '79 with flat black hooker sidepipes. That was when I decided to buy a vette and within a few months had my '76 with the intention of putting the same exhaust on. That was 1992. I finally got some Hooker headers (flat black ceramic headers, stainless pipes and spiral baffles) for my current project and am pumped about getting them installed.

Hookers all the way!

 

[Paranoid]

IMHO, get the real thing.(Hookers)

 

[The Torch]

I think that a hooker would be more fun than a patriot but...oh, wait...your talking about headers, nevermind...:laughing:

What about a patriotic hooker? :laughing: Posting any pics at this point would probably get me in trouble

 

[TwinTurbo]

are patriots those fake JC Whitney things w/ the fake collector and 3 unused tubes, headers w/ S bends...and so on???

 

[VetteDreamr]

TwinTurbo - I wouldn't call them "fake" because the original sidepipes were just one pipe going to the header. They are "fake" in a sense that the collector is non functional, but it's just for looks.

I appreciate your comments guys, but does anyone know if the patriots hinder performance? I do want to put some work into the engine eventually (stock L48 as of now) such as new heads, cam, intake, and carb.

And anyone with black hookers (This thread could be misconstrued so easily) have any pictures?

 

[Fred Mann]

If they were equal in performance then a set of Hookers would look like a Patriot system. Other than that I don't know anything specific about the Patriots (but that's all I'd need to know).

 

[VetteDreamr]

Yah, that's true. I have a problem with immediate gratification even though the car isn't even on the road yet. I think what I will do is wait it out till I get the car on the road and probably go the hooker route due to my desire for performance. Thanks everyone for your opinions

 

[TwinTurbo]

Well, sure the original ones had 1 pipe to the header, so do the kustoms, the hedmans (which can use a stock sidepipe) and the stahl ones. That doesn't mean they all have the same performance potential. How large is the patriot pipe where it goes through the fake collector? I assume a single primary size?

 

[VetteDreamr]

Ya it's a single pipe, I think it's 2inch.