Abstract: According to the current trend to reduce the valvetrain movable masses in combustion engines lightweight valves are used increasingly. They can be made of light alloys from the TiAl alloy group or of ceramic materials such as silicon nitride. They are often coated with additional protective layers to reduce the resistance of friction or the wear intensity. They may also be a hollow structure made of steel with internal reinforcing ribs. Compared to traditional full steel valves they are characterized by different temperature gradients when working in a valvetrain. As a result, their working change, particularly the intensity of the heat transfer and wear. The paper presents valve models developed with the FEM technique for several design and material configurations for lightweight intake and exhaust valves operating under conditions similar to those made of steel. Also the temperature gradients of the discussed valves have been included and compared to those of full steel valves.