Head Games: Overhead Valve versus Overhead Cam

The classic battle of engines; what’s best, who does it better, what design is best, import versus domestic, Ford versus Chevy. You can go on and on and on but two big terms seem to stand out and not many get why.

Overhead Valve and Overhead Cam. What do they mean and which is actually best? We’re going to try and explain it but if you’re a seasoned builder, you’re going to get bored pretty quick. Well, maybe.

Head design comes down to several things, but to outright declare one type of camshaft placement is best is probably disingenuous. It really comes down to what you want to work with and how.

Maximum fuel efficiency or want to really throw some crazy lobe separation angle without removing and installing a new cam, yeah, DOHC is probably your best bet. Maximum power and simplicity, you can’t beat the OHV in your LS-based engine. It’s all about packaging and what you want to do with it.

Really, when it comes to power, it’s the flow of the head that is going to determine what’s the best. Both OHV and OHC have had some very similar advantages in that when it comes to technology but where either one will take the advantage is valve sizing. The bigger the valve you can use, the more flow you’ll get. You can actually “fool” the engine into thinking you have a bigger valve by going with multiple valves, as explained in the video.

At the end of the day, it’s what you want to use and for LS1Tech, we’re pretty sure we know what you prefer.