Piston engines normally use poppet valves for intake and exhaust. These are driven (directly or indirectly) by cams on a camshaft. The cams open the valves (lift) for a certain amount of time (duration) during each intake and exhaust cycle. The timing of the valve opening and closing is also important. The camshaft is driven by the crankshaft through timing belts, gears or chains.

The profile, or position and shape of the cam lobes on the shaft, is optimized for a certain engine revolutions per minute (RPM), and this trade off normally limits low-end torque, or high-end power. VVT allows the cam timing to change, which results in greater efficiency and power, over a wider range of engine RPMs.

An engine requires large amounts of air when operating at high speeds. However, the intake valves may close before enough air has entered each combustion chamber, reducing performance. On the other hand, if the camshaft keeps the valves open for longer periods of time, as with a racing cam, problems start to occur at the lower engine speeds. This will cause unburnt fuel to exit the engine since the valves are still open. This leads to lower engine performance and increased emissions. For this reason, pure racing engines which are designed to idle at speeds close to 2,000 rpm, cannot idle well at the lower speeds (around 800 rpm) expected of a road car.

Pressure to meet environmental goals and fuel efficiency standards is forcing car manufacturers to use VVT as a solution. Most simple VVT systems advance or retard the timing of the intake or exhaust valves. Others (like Honda's VTEC) switch between two sets of cam lobes at a certain engine RPM. Furthermore Honda's i-VTEC can alter intake valve timing continuously.