Same pressure as before, same clicks as before. Go do a normal ride on trails you know well. That gives you something honest to compare against, and most riders find they don't want to touch anything after that.

If you do want to change something, change one thing at a time. Two adjustments at once and you won't know which one did what.

The VSS makes your air spring store more energy than it used to. That's the whole point, it's where the support comes from. But energy that goes in has to come back out, so coming back from a big compression the fork can return faster than you're used to.

Slow your high-speed rebound (HSR) down 2 or 3 clicks. If your fork doesn't have an HSR adjuster, slow the low-speed rebound (LSR) a bit instead.

That's usually the only change anyone makes.

This one surprises people, so it's worth understanding. The VSS is velocity-sensitive: the faster the fork moves, the more it works. Brake dive is the opposite of fast — it's a slow, steady load. At those speeds the air flows straight through the nozzle and the VSS adds almost nothing.

So the fork can actually feel a bit softer under braking than it did before, and you might dive a little more. It's most noticeable on long travel bikes and on setups with really strong brakes — 220 mm rotors, DH calipers, that kind of thing.

The fix: add a few clicks of low-speed compression (LSC). That's exactly what LSC is for, and you now have room to use it because the VSS is handling the fast stuff.

If your LSC is already fully closed: close your low-speed rebound (LSR) a few clicks instead. The LSR is just a hole in the mid valve with no check valve, so closing it stiffens compression too. If you do that, open your high-speed rebound (HSR) a few clicks to keep the rebound feeling natural.

The VSS does almost nothing at the very start of the stroke, and it's far stronger than your damper once the fork starts moving quickly. So the split is now pretty clean: your damper is mostly doing its job in the first third of the travel, and the VSS handles everything after that.

That means you can open your high-speed compression much further than you'd think. Plenty of riders end up fully open and just run on the VSS. Try it — it sounds crazy until you do it, and you'll likely have more support than you had before with the damper cranked.

Keep a few clicks of low-speed compression if you're diving under brakes though — see the section above.

GRIP2 VVC riders: your HSC knob barely does anything. The configurator already accounts for this and tunes your VSS firmer to make up for it, so leave the knob wherever you like it.

Keep your pressure where it was to start. After a few rides you may notice you're not using quite as much travel as before, that's the VSS supporting you through the mid-stroke, not a sign that something's wrong.

If you want, drop a few PSI from there. You'll carry a bit more sag, which means the wheel tracks the ground better and the fork stays more active. Riding with slightly more sag and full mid-stroke support is a good trade, more grip, less hand fatigue, and you're still riding high in the travel.

Your kit came with three nozzles: the recommended one, one size smaller, and one size larger. The recommended one should be right, and most riders never swap it. But the option is there.

Smaller nozzle — stronger effect. More mid-stroke support, more resistance on fast hits.

Larger nozzle — more flow, softer effect. Useful if you like running a lot of compression in your damper, or you want a plusher feel.

To swap it, use the small wrench in your kit: unscrew the nozzle from the tip of the VSS and thread the new one in. Snug it gently — the threads are made a bit tight on purpose so it can't back out, so it doesn't need force.

Tell me what the fork is doing and what bike and setup you're on, and I'll tell you which knob to touch. That's usually a two-minute conversation.

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