Dual rate vehicle suspension system with adjustable ride height

A selectively switchable dual rate vehicle suspension system configured to be oriented between the unsprung mass and the sprung mass of one corner of a vehicle, comprising:

• a cylindrical damper;
• a primary coil spring with a first predetermined spring rate K1, and a secondary coil spring with a second predetermined spring rate K2, the coil springs both connected to a common spring abutment and arranged about the cylindrical damper in series so as to provide a total combined spring rate KT;
• an actuator mounted to the damper and configured to compress and decompress the coil springs;
• stop means configured to deactivate the secondary coil spring in at least one stop position;
• such that, when the system is in a first mode the overall suspension spring rate is defined by the series equation 1/KT=1/K1+1/K2, and when the system is in a second mode the overall vehicle suspension spring rate is defined by the series equation 1/KT=1/K1, thus selectively and switchably providing both a low rate, optimal ride comfort setting in the first mode and a high rate, optimal handling lower ride height setting in the second mode.