I was looking for opinions from any Bridgeport owners about the street manners of their cars.
Specifically, I was wondering how civilized (or lack of) the car was around town.

I realize that the idle would have to be set up high, and would be lumpy. But, what are the drawbacks to the engine? I also have a friend that drives a BP first gen, and he had problems getting an exhaust to work that wouldn't choke the engine, and wouldn't get him tickets for noise.

I am considering a purchasing a large BP turbo engine, and trying to decide if I can put up with the quirks of a BP on the street.

This would be more a weekend type car than a DD.

 

Depends on what you consider streetable. A quiet exhaust will eliminate all the topend potential of the brdigeport. I run full 2 1/2" exhaust with 2 presilencers and a full size aero muffler (previously a magnaflow, basically the same thing), but I also have an alectric cutout for full power potential so I get the best of both worlds. Since I run the camden, mine is very very civilized, but with a turbo it's a different story. Idle is different between the two, the camden tames the bridgeport quite a bit. Here are links to videos, both have the exact same 1/2 bridge engine (mine came from the black car). The first gen has the camden while the second gen has a big turbo. (ooooh, and before someone says it, the turbo was faster!) http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/d...hortbridge.flv
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/d...nt=exhaust.flv

 

I have a smallish bridge on my car...

It's perfectly streetable from idle to wherever. But keep in mind that the idle is about 1300-1400 RPM. Consider anything below that on the tach to be unusable at low loads.

Turbo bridgeports are a totally different beast then NA bridgeports. The turbo quites the exhaust down a lot, and the bridgeport spools the turbo easily. That alone makes the car infinitely more drivable at medium throttle.

You'll obviously need a standalone EMS to run the thing, and tuning a low vacuum engine with an unsteady MAP signal is much harder then stock/street ports.

It's also hard to get decent mileage out of a bridgeport due to overlap. On the highway it's fine, but figure 8-10 MPG in the city. I've had well-known bridgeport people tell me that they are able to tune the car and get 15-18 MPG in the city out of their cars, but none of them have ever answered my question of "How?" and since I've been experimenting with mine for 3 years and can't seem to get above 10 MPG, I don't believe them.

 

Well from what I understand (and keep in mind that I am no rotary expert) I have heard that the bridgeported engines tend not to last very long. If you considering streetability then perhaps longevity is in your thoughts as well. I had a friend of mine who had a full bridgeport with a T-88 turbo...and it did make 588whp...but the engine only lasted a few months before it suffered catostrophic failure. Any engine that is as violent and fast reving as a bridgeported rotary is will be prone to failure, even if you take care of it. EVERYTHING has to be spot on and damn near perfect for the close to 10,000 RPM's these engines achieve. And a small accident on your part could mean a major breakdown.

Just my .02 to consider before spending major bucks on one of these.

-Vincent

 

Longevity isn't a problem as logn as the cuts are done well and support the seals properly.

You could make 588whp on a streetport, but the engine wouldn't last long - eyebrows or not. Any time you push close to 5 times the output an engine was designed for, you can safely say you'll reduce its useable lifespan by 5 times also.

The longevity claim is mostly in regards to large bridges (or people who've had crap BP's done...) where you're going all out. You can cut a "reliable" BP and still get good flow and power from it.

 

+1 on the cutout for a bridgeport.
Its basically a neccisity if you want power and quietness(though not at the same time).

 

I keep coming back to the same thought: Buy a fresh rebuilt streetport T2 engine.
I can still do it cheap enough with a lot less hassles.

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it.

 

Unless you really wanted the aggressiveness (sound etc) of the bridgeport (which I did!). AAaaaand, it's not your daily driver (mine is a toy) aaaaand fuel economy is not an issue since it's an occasional driver (my 24 year old GSLSE only has 160,000 km on it) than i would definitely suggest a streetport and invest in a quality ball bearing turbo and you'll be very pleased!

 

If a bridgeport is done well, with a solid bridge (not too thin) left in place it will last just as a streetport if it is driven in the exact same fashion. The main reason for bridges not lasting as long is how they are driven, more boost, higher revs, etc. Push a stock or streetport past 8500 rpm frequently, push the boost up, cruise at 3000rpm all the time, idle at 1300 rpm, lean out the mixture and squeeze some timing out to get the most and it will not last any longer than a bridgeport.

 

Yep, what he said. With a thick bridge and one that doesn't intrude on seal paths, you'll be just as reliable as a street or stock port. I'm convinced that the bad press about bridgeport reliability was actually created by the J port.

But remember, if you go bridgeport it means going to a large turbo which necessitates all the upgrades that go along with it.

 

welp, a bridgeport is a much different animal from a streetport Iv'e had both and have to say the bridgeport was a lot of fun, it's such an animal, with the distinct brap-brap-brap. Still quite "streetable" depending on what your definition is... no power down low of course, but starts, runs, and idles very reliably when tuned properly.

If you can handle the expense & hassle, the bridge is great. if it sounds like a bit much, stick with street.

If you do bridge, hit up BDC...

 

I read something on another thread that sounded real smart. Its not about how streetable it is if not how much are you willing to tollerate!!!! I was in the same boat when I started building my car. I ended up with a large street port by the way!!!

 

I agree on both counts. I definitely think you're right about that, Aaron. I've thought alot about the whole "bridgeports aren't reliable" garbage and I think it comes from the J Port.

Partial bridgeport turbos work real well. I'm still driving mine (well, although it's parked because of something goofed w/ the driveline) and it drives quite well. Keep a stock flywheel on it. They sound great and drive quite well provided the bridgeport cuts aren't the size of watermelons.

B