Reinforced exhaust valves Audi R8 Lamborghini Gallardo V10 5.0 5.2

Audi and Lamborghini engines covered

The first-generation R8 (42) and the Gallardo share the same naturally aspirated 40-valve V10. The Gallardo takes it as a 5 litre (codes L 510 and L510R, Gallardo, Superleggera and Spyder) from 2003, then as a 5.2 litre (CEH, CMPA) in the LP 550-2, LP 560-2 and LP 560-4 up to 2014; the R8 and R8 Spyder receive it as a 5.2 litre (BUJ, CTYA, CMPA, CTPA, CTPB) from 2009 to 2015.

Each engine has 20 exhaust valves, two per cylinder, with a 28 mm head at standard size. The high rpm of this V10 puts a constant flow of very hot burnt gases through the exhaust valves, harsher still with a forced induction kit.

SUPERTECH and FERREA reinforced exhaust valves

In the V10 of the R8 and Gallardo, it is 20 exhaust valves, two per cylinder, that let the combustion gases slip out, and they take the fiercest heat in the cylinder head. The metal of their head climbs to 760 to 870 °C on this unblown engine and would go beyond 1,000 °C with a forced induction kit. The seat drains roughly 75 % of the heat, the guide about 20 %. As a yardstick, an EV8 type steel falls from 550 MPa near 600 °C to 300 MPa near 800 °C. Sustained high revs, extra load or added boost: the head heats up, gives in to fatigue, buckles and no longer closes tightly.

Reinforced versions move to nickel alloys. FERREA casts its Competition Plus in a Super Alloy, a material for which it claims a 20 % gain in thermal strength along with 25 % more service life for the seat. SUPERTECH uses Inconel, which holds 860 MPa at 730 °C and 554 MPa at 815 °C, about 85 % better than EV8 steel at 800 °C; its variant with a hollowed stem containing sodium diverts part of the head's heat, a real asset under heavy, prolonged load.

The +1 and +2 mm oversizes only enlarge the head, from 28 to 29 or 30 mm, without altering stem or length. Each cylinder expels its spent gases earlier, the fresh charge gains room and the V10 gains power. The workshop then cuts the 20 exhaust seats to this diameter while reconditioning the cylinder head.

Exhaust valve technical specifications

F2284P, VWEVI-1002S and VWEVI-1002S-HS are standard size, VWEVI-1004S is +1 mm and VWEVI-1006S +2 mm. 5.97 mm stem and 102.0 mm length for FERREA; 5.96 mm stem and 101.8 mm length for SUPERTECH.

Valve fitting

SUPERTECH valves have a single groove: the KPR-6S-7-20 collets allow the change to this single groove fitting.

With a 28 mm head the exhaust seats keep their factory size; at 29 or 30 mm the workshop machines the 20 seats.

The VS-VBM6E-20 Viton exhaust valve stem seals match the 6 mm stem of these valves.

Technical guide

Our brands

	SUPERTECH, a manufacturer originally established in Silicon Valley, has put its valvetrain know-how at the service of racing engines for more than three decades. For every valve, Inconel, titanium or stainless steel is matched to the engine, then the part is refined in the field, from rally stages to drag strips by way of the track.
	FERREA Racing Components owes its birth, in 1978, to Horacio Ferrea, soon joined by Daniel Urrutia. Factories in Florida and Argentina turn titanium, stainless and nickel superalloys into valves for tuners active in NASCAR and drag racing.

How to choose

Two criteria separate these five versions: head size, which governs whether the seats need machining, and material, which sets heat resistance, chosen by whether the V10 stays unblown or receives forced induction.

When reinforced valves become necessary

• Forced induction kit on the V10 (Inconel version advised)
• Sharper cams or springs firmer than stock
• Track sessions at high rpm
• Rev limit raised by a new engine map
• Cylinder head rebuild after burnt or distorted exhaust valves

Vehicle compatibility

OEM part number (exhaust valve):

Don't forget the inlet valves

Once the V10 cylinder head is removed, it is the ideal time to replace the twenty inlet valves as well, together with their valve stem seals. The page: