Lamborghini Aventador SVJ green front view

How does an active suspension work?

What is a Lamborghini active suspension?

The Aventador S and its somehow faster brother, the Aventador SVJ, both employ a ridiculous amount of technology to make them the most high-tech displays of road going performance on this earth, and one of the technologies they employ is an active suspension. What is a Lamborghini active suspension? It’s a few simple words that describe something that’s actually rather complicated, and we’ll give you the full rundown.

Lamborghini Active Suspension on a wheelHow can a suspension adjust on the fly?

In its active suspension system, Lamborghini employs magneto-rheological front and rear shock absorbers to make adjustments with split-second reaction times. You likely have a concept for every word in that previous sentence besides magneto-rheological, so let’s provide you with a brief primer.


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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ gray back viewWhat does magneto-rheological mean?

Usually, magneto-rheological applies to a fluid, specifically a smart fluid. By suspending magnetic particles in a carrier fluid, the fluid can actually change viscosity in the presence of a magnetic field usually supplied by an electromagnet.

Basically, these particles line up preventing the free flow of fluid until the system removes the magnetic field.


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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ green back viewHow does a magneto-rheological fluid work in shock absorbers?

A shock absorber works by forcing a piston through a fluid, except the piston has holes in it. Since fluid cannot compress, the piston meets immediate resistance. This allows the car’s suspension to return to its original stance faster and also resists movement and instability.

In the past, if racecar or performance car drivers wanted a softer or stiffer suspension, this meant getting new shocks that utilized a different fluid medium, employed a different style piston, or both. However, with the magneto-rheological fluid employed in the Lamborghini active suspension, the suspension can change stiffness on the fly.

With the Lamborghini active suspension, the driver can either change drive modes or the car can adjust its suspension stiffness simply by adjusting the magnetic energy being applied to the fluid in its shocks. More magnetic energy means the particles line up, making for a more viscous fluid and a stiffer ride.

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ side and back view green and orangeWhat Lamborghini models employ an active suspension?

Currently, only the Aventador S in both the roadster and coupe formats along with the Aventador SVJ have this active suspension technology on board. However, both the Urus and the Huracan have their own advanced suspension systems that excel in handling. It just isn’t up to the same extreme level as is provided with a Lamborghini active suspension system.


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