Cylinder head type

Description

Flathead Engine Cylinder Head

A type of cylinder head design common in early engines; composed of a single slab of metal without mechanical parts; easy to manufacture and assemble; prone to overheating since it keeps exhaust gases inside the combustion chamber for long periods of time

Overhead Valve Engine Cylinder Head

Also known as OHV heads; commonly found in big V8 pushrod engines where cylinder blocks contain the camshaft; includes the valves, intake, and spark mechanisms; less prone to overheating

Overhead Camshaft Engine Cylinder Head

Popularly known as OHC heads; more complex than the flathead and OHV in terms of design; features an embedded camshaft in the head that actuates the valves of the engine and eliminates the need for pushrods; widely used for car engines in the last few decades

Dual Overhead Camshaft Engine Cylinder Head

Also called DOHC heads; a variation of the OHC design that features two camshafts in the head that control the inlet valves and exhaust valves respectively; widely used in modern car engines; may contain multiple valves per cylinder; features integrated variable valve timing systems that improve engine performance