Tokens vs VSS?

Tokens vs VSS?

Tokens vs VSS — Can I Run Both?

The short answer is that the VSS replaces them. Some setups have room for a couple anyway.

This is the question I get most after someone orders. The VSS goes in the same place your volume spacers went, and it does the job they were doing, better, and without the compromise. So the default is simple: take them all out. But there are a few setups where keeping one or two alongside gives you a bit more ramp at the very end, and a few where doing that will damage your fork. Here's how to tell them apart.

The default — take them all out

Unless the configurator specifically tells you otherwise, remove every OEM token and run the VSS on its own. That's what it was designed and sized for, and it's how the vast majority of riders should be running it.

If you're not sure, this is the safe answer. Nobody has ever hurt a fork by running the VSS alone.

When you can keep a couple

A few setups have enough room left in the air chamber to run tokens alongside the VSS, for a bit of extra ramp-up at the very end of the stroke. Roughly:

  • RockShox Lyrik and ZEB (Non linear XL) — up to 2
  • FOX 38 Enduro and Marzocchi Super Z — depends on travel. There's more room at 160–170 mm than at 180 mm, and none at all at 190 mm.
  • FOX 40 (non-DH configuration) — room to combine

Don't work off this list, though.. run the configurator and it gives you the exact number for your fork, your travel and your setup. The limits change depending on all three.

⚠ When you absolutely can't

Some configurations leave no room at all, and adding tokens on top over-restricts the air chamber. That's not a "feels worse" problem, it can damage your fork.

Any DH version of the VSS.
The DH variants are already sized for maximum support. Nothing goes in alongside them.

RockShox BoXXer.
Remove every token before installing, no exceptions.

190 mm travel and up on a 38 Enduro or Super Z.
At that travel there's simply nothing left to give. Run the VSS alone.

If you were running 3 or 4 tokens on a FOX 38

This one comes up often enough to deserve its own answer. If you were already deep into tokens on a 38, you've got two good options and you should pick one, not split the difference.

Option A: VSS 38 Enduro with exactly 2 tokens. A bit of extra ramp at the end on top of everything the VSS gives you. Don't run 3 or 4 alongside it, that's the combination that can hurt the fork.

Option B: VSS 38 DH with zero tokens. The full VSS effect, very dynamic compression, minimal ramp. This is the one I'd steer most aggressive riders toward.

Why the VSS isn't just a better token

A token works on position: it shrinks the chamber, so the end of the stroke ramps harder on every single compression, whether you needed it or not. That's why adding tokens always costs you something somewhere else.

The VSS works on speed instead, so it only adds support when the fork is actually moving fast. That's the whole difference, and it's covered properly in how the VSS works.

Still not sure?

Tell me your fork, your travel and how many tokens you were running, and I'll tell you exactly what to do with them.

Email info@shockwaveparts.com or reach out on Instagram at @shockwavebike.

If you remember one thing: when in doubt, run the VSS alone. Combining is the exception, not the rule, and the configurator will tell you if you're one of the exceptions.

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