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Concept
Height adjustable suspension
Summary
Height adjustable suspension is a feature of certain automobile suspension systems that allow the motorist to vary the ride height or ground clearance. This can be done for various reasons including giving better ground clearance over rough terrain, a lower ground clearance to improve performance and fuel economy at high speed, or for stylistic reasons. Such a feature requires fairly sophisticated engineering.
Height adjustment is most often achieved by air or oil compression used for the "springs" of the vehicle - when the pressure is varied - the vehicle body rises or lowers.
The first instance of a production vehicle with adjustable (rear only) suspension was on the 1954 Citroën 15CVH. This vehicle featured a self-leveling, height adjustable hydropneumatic suspension. Since this time, these systems have appeared continuously on Citroën models, including the DS and CX.
Height adjustable suspension was banned in the United States from 1974 to 1981, due to the stringent interpretation of passenger vehicle bumper height regulations by the U.S. government agency NHTSA.
Subaru was one of a few manufacturers who offered the feature after the ban was lifted on the Subaru XT, the Subaru Leone wagon and the Subaru Legacy for a short time.
Many modern SUVs use height adjustability as part of active suspension systems to improve the vehicle's versatility on and off-road. The Range Rover offered this feature from 1993. New models of the Ford Expedition have a computer-controlled system designed for convenience, which lowers automatically when the doors are unlocked by remote, returns to normal height when the vehicle is started, and (on 4-wheel-drive models), raises when the 4x4 system is engaged.
Some cars use these systems to improve the vehicle's handling by lowering the vehicle's height during higher speeds - a current example being the Mercedes-Benz Active Body Control system. Another example is the Audi A8, which when driven at speeds of more than 120 km/h for more than 30 seconds reduces its clearance from 120 mm to 95 mm.
Official source
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