Valve Lash Caps

Although titanium valves cost around $140 each, according to Mike Androwick of Mike's Racing Heads, "with a strong covering they normally endure a complete 2,000-lap race season." In contrast, every race sees brand-new titanium valves installed in Nascar Sprint Cup engines.

The valve is coated with chromium nitride for durability, and Androwick, whose racing cylinder heads are presently winning the Dirt Car standings in the Northeast Modified series. In particular with unleaded fuels like E85, "it provides toughness to the valve and hence they live a lot longer." However, when you learn that a lash cap has come off of its valve tip, you start to ask how it happened and whether such risks may be avoided.