NEW-LINE ANTI-BLEED FUNNEL: HANDS-ON TEST AND “DISSING” 

BETWEEN THE DESIGNER, MARCO MALVERTI, AND THE TESTER, ALDO FATTORE

In karts equipped with a liquid engine cooling system, preventing air from remaining in the circuit is essential for proper thermal management of the engine. Air inside the system can appear in two forms. On one side there are microbubbles which, dispersed in the coolant, reduce heat exchange efficiency because air transfers less heat than water. On the other side there are the so-called “air pockets”, meaning pockets of trapped air within the circuit. These can hinder coolant circulation, preventing certain areas of the engine — especially higher sections such as the cylinder — from cooling properly, with the risk of overheating or, in the most extreme cases, engine seizure. For this reason, every time the system is filled or topped up, the cooling system needs to be bled. The procedure involves several steps (for more details, see “How To | The tricks for... correctly mounting a radiator”): the kart is tilted towards the radiator side, the cap is left open to allow the air to escape and the rear wheels are rotated to activate the water pump. The process is repeated until no more bubbles appear in the coolant. Even a slight mistake in any of these steps may allow air to remain trapped in the circuit. To simplify the process and reduce the margin for error, New-Line Racing — an Italian company specialising in the production of radiators and cooling system components (and more) for racing karts — has introduced a 3D-printed funnel designed to help expel air from the system while the radiator is being filled, thereby avoiding the traditional bleeding procedure. But does it really deliver on this promise? To find out, we carried out a practical test together with Aldo Fattore, mechanic for the Formula K SRP Factory Team and owner of IMAF Racing Seats, documenting every stage in a video and asking him for an honest assessment of the tool. We then showed the test to Marco Malverti, owner of New-Line Racing and the creator of the funnel. The result was a technical “dissing”: as often happens in karting, each side tends to defend its own approach. Yet this exchange provides not only indications about the funnel’s effectiveness, but also practical insights into managing a kart cooling system — from the correct filling procedure to useful steps for… Find out in the article.