A valve arrangement for an internal combustion engine having at least one intake valve, at least one exhaust valve, and at least one reciprocating piston. Each intake valve is seated in the cylinder head at a lesser distance from the piston than is each exhaust valve. Also, each exhaust valve has a cross sectional area less than seventy percent of the cross sectional area of each intake valve. The cross sectional area of each exhaust valve may be for example sixty to sixty-two percent of the cross sectional area of each intake valve.