Positive Steering Response System
AMP-SUS-110

Another part the Mini world has been waiting for! Increase steering response while braking and accelerating with the ALTA Performance™ PSRS.

Install Difficulty Rating

Special Sale Price, Only $239.99 (MSRP $269.99)

ALTA innovation is clearly evident with the PSRS!

The MINI has very minimal adjustments to the front suspension, toe in or out only. ALTA has seen tremendous benefits from changing the levels of caster in the front. This increase in caster allows sharper more precise response from steering input. Decreases understeer and improves overall feel.

Also, the OEM lower control arm bushings supplied from MINI are a very gooey like rubber compound. While great to reduce road noise, they are miserable at improving handling. As a result even the most minor of imperfections in the road surface can cause the car to dart around. The ALTA PSRS uses a firm bearing material that prevents this. This inspires confidence in all driving conditions, and again adds positive steering response.

For more detailed information on the PSRS, click on the “Features” tab directly to the right of this one. If you have questions or concerns PLEASE feel free to e-mail or call us. Thanks in advance for choosing ALTA!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Positive Steering Response System

The ALTA PSRS replaces the front control arm rear rubber bushing with a solid type spherical bearing. Improving the handling characteristics of your MINI cooper and enhancing your performance driving.

What Is The ALTA PSRS

The PSRS replaces the front control arm's rear rubber bushings with solid spherical bearings. The solid design of the PSRS will not allow any wheel deflection under heavy braking or acceleration, in turn your MINI's suspension geometry will not change making your handling more consistent and predictable.
Under acceleration your MINI will have more front end traction and be more predictable in corners. Wheel hop will disappear and your MINI will feel more stable. Under braking steering feedback issues and wandering are eliminated.

OEM Bushings vs The PSRS

The OEM MINI bushings are made of soft rubber to reduce NVH, and make the ride more comfortable, in turn this creates a large amount of wheel movement under braking, accelerating and cornering. This unwanted movement causes suspension mis-alignment, changing the handling characteristics of your MINI under extreme conditions.

The solid design of the PSRS eliminates suspension misalignment making your mini's handling consistent and predictable during extreme driving.

Caster Changes and Their Effects

The center pivot of the PSRS is offset allowing the installer to add between 0 to 1.5 degrees of caster to the front suspension. Adding caster will give your MINI better directional stability when traveling in a straight line such as a highway or interstate, reducing it's tendency to wander. MINI's with wider aftermarket wheels will find they will not be as effected by uneven or rutted pavement.
Excessive caster angle can make the steering feel heavier and less responsive but in a MINI, adding this small amount of caster will have little to no effect on the amount of effort it takes to turn your steering wheel.

Caster Explained

Caster is the angle of the pivot line, an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint and the center of the lower ball joint. In effect caster is the angle on which the steering knuckle rotates.

MINI Cooper provides no factory adjustment of the caster angle. By offsetting the pivot point of the lower control arm, installers can now adjust the caster angle by rotating the PSRS prior to installation.

Exploded View of MINI Front Suspension

What is the PSRS?

Positive Steering Response System is what PSRS stands for. The PSRS replaces the front control arm rear rubber bushing with a solid type spherical bearing. This OEM bushing is designed to be extra compliant to reduce NVH, and make the ride more comfortable, but in turn this rubber bushing creates large amount of wheel deflection under braking, accelerating and cornering. This unwanted suspension mis-alignments cause changes to the handling of the car under extreme conditions. Since the PSRS is solid with no deflection, your alignment stays right were it should making your car handle consistent and predictable under the extreme conditions mentioned above.

With OEM Bushings Installed......

Under braking, this OEM bushing has enough flex in it to cause the wheel to move back and forth .500"! This deflection of the wheel causes drastic toe in and toe out changes, which leads to toe changes that will cause unwanted steering input changes, cause the tires contact patch to change, and even cause the car to wander.

When accelerating, this OEM bushing causes unwanted wheel hop, and again toe in and toe out changes. During acceleration, the car will want to follow the ruts in the road, as the bushing flexes back and forth. This is one of the most noticeable changes when going with our PSRS.

With PSRS Installed.......

Under braking after the ALTA PSRS is installed, the wheel will not move front to back period! Since there is no way for toe changes to occur, the steering feedback issues and wandering under braking all go away!

Under acceleration after the ALTA PSRS in installed, wheel hop disappears and the car will have far less tendency to follow the ruts in the road. In turn, the car will have more front end traction be much more predictable in corners.

Adds Caster

Besides removing all the unwanted flex of the OEM bushing, the center pivot of the PSRS is offset where the bushing is mounted. This allows the installer to add 0-1.5 degrees of caster to the front suspension. Most race car drivers will tell you, you can never have too much caster! Caster is the angle at which the steering knuckle rotates on. Adding caster makes the car more stable in straight line and provides a larger contact patch for the tires as the wheels turn through corners. Think of caster like camber that only comes into play as you turn the wheel. Caster adds negative camber on the outside wheel and adds positive to the inside wheel. It allows you to run a lesser degree of overall camber to keep your tires contact patch larger while under acceleration. Adding this small amount of caster to your car with modern day power steering has little to no effect on additional effort it takes to turn the steering wheel.

Anti-lift feature

One of the byproducts with how we add caster is the ability to add some Anti-lift to the front end. Depending on how much caster is being added, some Anti-lift can be added to the car. This reduces the amount of front end lift during acceleration. The benefit to Anti-Lift is it keeps the balance of the car in check. During hard acceleration, Soft springs, and shocks makes the cars weight shift to the back. This in turn removes weight from the front that keeps the tires planted to the ground. Which is a very important thing when you have all that power going to the front wheels!