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Self-levelling suspension

 

 
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Self-levelling suspension
 
 
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Self-levelling refers to an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 suspension
Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of spring , shock absorbers and Linkage that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose ? contributing to the car's car handling and brake for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road no...
 system that maintains a constant ride height
Ride height

Ride height is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the underside of the chassis; or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and any part of a vehicle other than those parts designed to contact the ground ....
 of the vehicle above the road, regardless of load.

Many vehicle systems including aerodynamic properties, headlights, bumpers, and shock absorption from the suspension
Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of spring , shock absorbers and Linkage that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose ? contributing to the car's car handling and brake for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road no...
, are negatively impacted on a conventional vehicle by changes in load.

There is an inherent conflict in suspension design - if the springs are soft, the car will be comfortable but dramatically affected by load.






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Self-levelling refers to an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 suspension
Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of spring , shock absorbers and Linkage that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose ? contributing to the car's car handling and brake for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road no...
 system that maintains a constant ride height
Ride height

Ride height is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the underside of the chassis; or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and any part of a vehicle other than those parts designed to contact the ground ....
 of the vehicle above the road, regardless of load.

Many vehicle systems including aerodynamic properties, headlights, bumpers, and shock absorption from the suspension
Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of spring , shock absorbers and Linkage that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose ? contributing to the car's car handling and brake for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road no...
, are negatively impacted on a conventional vehicle by changes in load.

There is an inherent conflict in suspension design - if the springs are soft, the car will be comfortable but dramatically affected by load. If the springs are hard, the car will be uncomfortable, but less affected by load.

Numerous manufacturers realize this conflict and have pursued different avenues to achieve both comfort and load capacity simultaneously.

In 1954, Citroën
Citroën

Citro?n is a France automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by Andr? Citro?n, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA....
 introduced the first self-levelling rear suspension, and then in 1955 pioneered self-levelling of all four wheels, using its hydropneumatic system. Since then, millions of Citroën cars have been equipped with self-levelling as an unobtrusive, but integral design feature. The Citroën's dashboard includes a five-position lever which allows the driver to select whether the car would travel with the body in a high or low position. When the engine is turned off, the suspension slowly loses pressure until the car rests on the rubber bump stops. When the engine is restarted it rises back to its pre-selected height.

In 1966, Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited

Rolls-Royce Limited was a United Kingdom automobile and, from 1914, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
 licensed Citroën's hydropneumatic system to fit to the rear axle of the Silver Shadow
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a luxury car produced in Great Britain in various forms from 1965 to 1980. The car was the manufacturer's response to claims that it was falling behind the times, and had lost contact with modern developments....
.

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coach es, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz....
, Ford, GMC, BMW
BMW

, is an independent German automotive industry founded in 1916. It also produces BMW Motorrad, is the owner of the MINI brand and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars....
, Land Rover
Land Rover

Land Rover is an all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle manufacturer, based in Solihull, West Midlands , England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business owned by Tata Motors of India....
, Scania AB
Scania AB

Scania Aktiebolag is a global manufacturer of heavy trucks , buses, and diesel engines, with its head office in S?dert?lje, Sweden. Scania has production facilities in Europe and Latin America....
, and Jaguar
Jaguar (car)

Jaguar Cars, Ltd. is an Automotive_industry of luxury and executive cars operating under the Jaguar marque. The company's headquarters are in Coventry, England, where it was founded by William_Lyons in 1922....
 have each pursued numerous avenues to address this issue, including air suspension
Air suspension

Air suspension is a type of vehicle Suspension powered by an engine driven or electric air pump or compressor. This pump pressurizes the air, using compressed air as a spring....
 and rear axle mechanical devices.