Adaptive Suspension
Adaptive suspension is an umbrella term for a suspension that changes one or more operating characteristics according to road conditions, vehicle motion, load, driver input, or a selected mode.
What can change
The adjustable element may be damper force, air-spring pressure, ride height, roll control, or an active actuator. These systems do not all have the same capability. Many vehicles marketed with adaptive suspension use electronically controlled dampers with otherwise conventional springs; others combine adaptive damping with air springs, and a smaller group can actively generate suspension force.
The term therefore does not prove that spring rate changes, that the body can be lifted at each wheel, or that the system is fully active. It also does not state whether adjustment is continuous, switched between several calibrations, automatic, driver-selected, or both.
Adaptive suspension can widen the useful compromise between comfort, body control, tyre contact, ground clearance, and aerodynamic ride height. Its effect still depends on the installed hardware, control strategy, tyres, available travel, load, and operating limits.
For the complete hierarchy from semi-active damping to powered body control, see Active Suspension.