The SEMA Show is an event we look forward to every year. Last year was the first-ever virtual version, and it was a welcome distraction from all the craziness of 2020. Still, we were more than excited to make our way back to the Las Vegas Convention Center and return to our regularly scheduled programming – where the entirety of the automotive aftermarket convenes to showcase its wares and the world-class builds it produces alike.
This year, we caught up with a number of manufacturers, but one that really stood out to us was Heidts. As always, the brand’s booth did not disappoint. We caught up with Mike Ruth, Heidt’s chief applications engineer, and got the low-down on everything new from the chassis and suspension powerhouse.
Mike got right down to business, stating, “Our new Mopar product line fits the E-Body cars – the Cuda’s and Challengers. It’s based on our Pro-G proven technology and proven suspension. It’s completely and 100-percent bolt-in. So, that means anybody can do it in their garage. It comes equipped with motor mounts, and we have them for 340ci, 360ci, 383ci, and 440ci engines, and we also have it for the new late-model Gen-3 HEMI engines as well. So we’ve got all the Mopar engines covered with it.”
“To go along with the bolt-in Pro-G, we also have our new IRS. Again, this is also a 100-percent bolt-in deal. It works with a stock gas tank, and no real modifications are needed at all. A couple of guys with a floor jack, jack stands, and some wrenches can easily install one of these things in less than a weekend. The 33-spline axles on this thing are rated at 800-plus horsepower. It comes with several shock options that are double adjustable and we also have a Bilstein option for those guys that are really serious about racing. You can get it with the fabricated housing for the higher horsepower guys or the patented cast-aluminum housing that comes standard. The track width remains stock.”
“The other nice thing about this one is, they’ve added six inches of suspension travel at the wheel, which is amazing. You can see how you adjust the camber – real simple, just loosen a bolt and do it. You’ve also got a toe-in adjustment in the back so it’s a fully adjustable deal. It comes with a sway bar with several different spring rates available for that sway bar. It’s 9-inch based and we use Currie positraction center sections. You can buy it without it if you want to use Strange or someone else’s.”
With our interest piqued, we continued with our line of questioning. We asked what the customer can expect between the differences in the stock versus going with something like this?
“It’s night and day! There’s no way in the world that a straight-axle-equipped vehicle is ever going to come near the handling capabilities of an independent rear suspension. The nice thing about this is we designed it for street use. It drives like a Cadillac, or an Imperial I guess since it’s for a Mopar. It makes a great dual-purpose vehicle. so a guy can drive his car all weekend long and still drive it to work, and then go to the autocross track and he’s a hero out there.”
“We’re the leaders in bolt-in IRS and we have them for just about everything – every kind of popular car. So, this year we decided to go after the Mopars. We have them for the B-Bodies, E-Bodies, and we’ll soon have them for A-Bodies as well.”
To check out all of Heidt’s product offerings, head over to heidts.com.