Abstract: A spring configuration comprises a cylindrical damper (5), a primary coil spring (9) with a first predetermined spring rate K1, and a secondary coil spring (11) with a second predetermined spring rate K2, the coil springs arranged about the cylindrical damper (5) in series so as to provide a total combined spring rate KT, an actuator (20) configured to compress and decompress the coil springs (9, 11), a stop (12) configured to deactivate the secondary coil spring (11) at a stop position, such that, when the system is in a first, comfort, 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, handling, mode, the overall vehicle suspension spring rate is defined by the series equation KT=K1, thus selectively and switchably providing both a low rate, optimal ride comfort setting and a high rate, optimal handling lower ride height setting.