Patent ID: 7954792

Claim:
A strut assembly for a vehicle, said strut assembly comprising: a damper including a housing defining a fluid cavity and extending along a longitudinal axis and further including a rod moveable relative to said housing along said longitudinal axis and having a first rod end disposed within said cavity and a second rod end spaced from said housing along said longitudinal axis; a mounting plate coupled to said second rod end and configured for attachment to the vehicle; a flexible membrane having a first membrane end coupled to said housing and a second membrane end coupled to said mounting plate and configured for receiving a pressurized gas to form an air spring to bias said mounting plate away from said housing along said longitudinal axis; a coil spring having a first spring end in engagement with said housing and a second spring end in engagement with said mounting plate for biasing said mounting plate away from said housing along said longitudinal axis; said coil spring defining an inner diameter and disposed about an outer periphery of said housing to permit axial movement of said housing within said inner diameter of said coil spring along said longitudinal axis; wherein said first spring end is disposed outside of said flexible membrane.