I borrowed a nice FLIR infrared thermography camera from work to play around with at home (check insulation, etc). I didn't bring home the cable and software to download the pics though - doh! So, I did the natural redneck thing and just stuck my digital camera in the low-res viewfinder to get these 
For real race teams that are in it to win, you need one. A little expensive at ~$10k though.
You can analyze radiator performance, and make sure all parts of your radiator or oil/transmission/intercooler heat exchangers are being effectively cooled by your inlet/outlet paths. You can also get an indication of frontal drag and downforce too if you measure immediately after a high-speed run. This is just a general frontal view after a slow drive home from work so there's not much going on:
Also, most serious race teams (I recall my pit crew doing this when driving in my teens) will rig a mount on the front/rear to make a video of the tires as you're practicing. Not only does this aid in suspension setup, but it also helped my tire sponsor (Michelin) with direct feedback on their compounds, etc. This is after a normal drive home from work and allowing some time to cool on my rear tire, so again, nothing exciting
And, my exhaust I'm working on :wink::
I did a search, and never found any mention of this. It can be a very helpful tool if you know what data you need, and how other variables may affect your results. Otherwise, it can also mislead you like anything else! Oh well, it's colorful pictures....
Dave
For real race teams that are in it to win, you need one. A little expensive at ~$10k though.
You can analyze radiator performance, and make sure all parts of your radiator or oil/transmission/intercooler heat exchangers are being effectively cooled by your inlet/outlet paths. You can also get an indication of frontal drag and downforce too if you measure immediately after a high-speed run. This is just a general frontal view after a slow drive home from work so there's not much going on:
Also, most serious race teams (I recall my pit crew doing this when driving in my teens) will rig a mount on the front/rear to make a video of the tires as you're practicing. Not only does this aid in suspension setup, but it also helped my tire sponsor (Michelin) with direct feedback on their compounds, etc. This is after a normal drive home from work and allowing some time to cool on my rear tire, so again, nothing exciting
And, my exhaust I'm working on :wink::
I did a search, and never found any mention of this. It can be a very helpful tool if you know what data you need, and how other variables may affect your results. Otherwise, it can also mislead you like anything else! Oh well, it's colorful pictures....
Dave
