The harshness the CVH is known for is mostly due to the cylinder head and valvetrain design, the valve springs used in the CVH are considerably stiffer than usual compared to other engines, with 220 pounds at full lift, the stiff springs are needed to prevent valve float, and they do until engine speeds of around 6700 rpm, and also maintain under control the also unusually heavy rocker and hydraulic self adjusting tappet used in CVH engines, due to the angle at which the engine's valves are positioned due to the hemispherical combustion chamber.