Founded in 1952, the Nihon University Engine Association began as a club focused on automotive research and collaborated with major automotive manufacturers during its early years. The 1980s marked a shift toward competitive motorsports. The association began participating in eco-mile challenges—competitions to see who could travel the farthest on a single liter of gasoline—along with volunteer rally events. By 2000 and 2001, they had set their sights higher, competing in the prestigious US Formula SAE with custom cowl fabrication and aluminum frame construction.

Today, as part of the university's “Future Doctor Workshop” student project initiative, the Engine Association enjoys institutional support, including funding and dedicated workspace. This backing has enabled them to compete in every Japanese Student Formula event since the inaugural 2003 competition—a feat achieved by only a handful of university teams. In this article, we sit down with Mr. Iki from the Nihon University Engine Association to learn how the Flir T540 is helping his team push for higher rankings in racing car development.

Mr. Iki from Nihon University Engine Association

The Importance of Building Experience and Collecting Data with Real Driving Tests of Developed Machines

The Nihon University Engine Association's journey hasn't always been smooth. For years, they struggled with rankings hovering around 50th place. However, a comprehensive project overhaul has transformed their performance. Recent competitions have seen them consistently break into the top 20, with impressive finishes at 19th, 26th, and 16th place. This turnaround stems from strengthened team unity and invaluable support from alumni. Even during the COVID pandemic, when many programs faltered, they maintained their technical edge and competitive spirit.

“Breaking into the elite tier requires total commitment to racing car development and component engineering, plus extensive test driving,” explains Mr. Iki. 

The gap between top-tier and mid-tier schools often comes down to track time. There's simply no substitute for real-world experience and data accumulation. The team's current racing car reflects their ambitious approach: it features a sophisticated suspension system (POU) designed to control chassis roll, paired with high-output engine tuning that pushes performance boundaries. 

The Engine Association's racing car chassis.

One advantage the team had was access to a 464 × 348 resolution Flir T540 Professional Thermal Camera. Initially, Mr. Iki planned to use the Flir T540 for tire temperature analysis, specifically to optimize camber angles (Photo 3), and brake system monitoring. However, he soon discovered the camera's unexpected value in engine tuning applications. 

Rear right (above) and front left (below) tires shown pre- and post-drive.

A uniform heat distribution indicates a properly optimized setup.

Focusing on Relationship Between Power Output and Exhaust System Temperature Changes - Exhaust System Video Analysis

“Production vehicles are designed with safety margins for everyday driving conditions but racing car engines operate under completely different principles. Performance is everything,” explains Mr. Iki. “Advancing the combustion timing of the air-fuel mixture can boost power, but if it’s set too early, it can cause knocking, which in the worst case may lead to engine failure. On the flip side, if combustion timing is too conservative, energy gets wasted as heat rather than converted to usable power. The effects of ignition timing adjustments can be seen as numerical values on a chassis dynamometer’s power curve. However, when we analyzed video footage of temperature changes in the exhaust system and compared it with the power data, the results matched the power curve perfectly.”

Flir T540 Professional Thermal Camera

The Flir T540 is a high-performance camera designed for advanced research and development, yet when paired with the streamlined analysis software Thermal Studio Pro, it allows teams to quickly and intuitively obtain measurement results directly on site.

Looking ahead, the Engine Association plans to develop a custom oil pan to lower the car’s center of gravity. At that stage, the Flir T540 will also play a key role in verifying whether the engine’s cooling performance is sufficient.

Muffler manifold temperature, pre- and post-ignition timing adjustment.

Once the ignition timing was adjusted, the temperature of the muffler manifold decreased, indicating that the exhaust gases were being converted more effectively into usable power.

Muffler temperature and time-series temperature data of the manifold.

Mr. Iki noted that the Flir T540 is not only useful for engine tuning but also for assessing heat dissipation performance. By comparing thermal images of the muffler surface before and after applying HDP—a high-performance coating designed to increase surface area and enhance heat dissipation—the effectiveness of the coating was clearly demonstrated using the Flir T540. 

Muffler before and after HDP coating.

Temperatures were measured after identical driving loads. An increase of approximately 8°C in heat dissipation temperature was observed in the mesh area following the coating application.