Views on OHV

Automotive Industries, June, 2004 by Norman Carter, Chris Patrick, Gary Witzenburg

I submit that we should cease referring to pushrod engines as overhead valve (A.I. May 2004, pg.18) The term "OHV" refers to the position of the valves being "over" the cylinders and became popular immediately prior to and after WWII when such pushrod engines with overhead valves gradually replaced the older style side-valve engines, sometimes referred to as "flat head engines" since there were no valves in the head. Today all engines are OHV in the sense that the valves are over or on top of the cylinders. This is true whether the valves are operated by pushrods or overhead cams (OHC) Call them pushrod engines or cam-in-block (CIB) engines to distinguish them from OHC, but please, not OHV.

I've decided you should change Witzenburg's column to "GM Rocks!" I've never seen a guy so blatant in his need to promote GM, no matter how well he tries to mention other automakers to disguise it. The best one. "In Defense of Pushrods" had me rolling on the floor laughing. He all but admitted the consumers are getting less value for their money with the cheap low-tech GM motors. GM has the best idea of making the most profit by providing the simplest engine. If I had the cash, I would not buy the low-tech Vette when I could buy a more advanced car at or near the price point. I will continue to support the manufacturers that make the most advanced product, not a hype-manufacturer such as GM.

For the record, I have no feelings pro or con about GM but do enjoy defending U.S. makers in general from false prejudices and misperceptions Coincidentally, a May Czar and Driver column said, "For a mass-produced V8 engine, the pushrod layout has marc advantages than disadvantages." And an April 5 Automotive News article pointed out that the roughly $800 that GM saves on each pushrod engine it sells in NA. (about 62 percent of 5.5 million) is used to increase content and/or incentives on the vehicles they're in, which offers consumers a clear choice: more expensive engine or more feature content for the money. And if Mr. Patrick can find a "more advanced car [than the Corvette] at or near the price point" at or near the performance, I would encourage him to buy it.