Another vote for coupes
 

I have to agree with rbatson, the LX hatch is a little wimpy looking IMO, all hatchbacks should be GTs. The coupes have a stance that the hatch can't compare to, and I think the coupes look more aggressive. Plus I owned an 89 GT before I bought my coupe and the coupe is MUCH stiffer and stable on the road.

Lates
ROB

coupe or hatch
 

i would saw a coupe

Hatchback for me
 

i love both hatchback and notchback but if i had to choose i would choose the hatchback, and if it was between a LX and a GT i would choose LX anyday. I have had people actually offer to buy my hatchback on the spot just cause it was an LX?? my bro(budman94gt) chooses notch cause he wants a 91-92 notch to build as a dragcar.

mike

Notchback for me. I prefer small compact looking cars. I prefered the Firebird Formula over the Trans-AM also. Smaller, sleeker. The coupe has a nice line that goes from the front of the car to the back.

Well, I guess my sig gives me away. Neither one is a show queen, just old well kept cars that I love. If I had enough garage space, you can bet that I’d own a couple of hatches too.

Wow, i somehow missed this thread, my name gives away my preference, but no....i wanted an lx hatch, this is all the guy had, besides another car, an aod coupe, so i settled with this, but man, i would never own a hatch now, id say they are 100 lbs heavier, im sure the hatch is more aerodynamic, who cares, I like the gt's, just they are real common......

I cant believe you unit?? you are putting down everyone that might be faster or look better than your 87? tell ya what units, if any stock 87 5.0 could hang with an ls1, it wouldnt be a hatch car, 87 sd notch, maybe down at 13.6 with gears and traction, 87 gt, maybe 13.9's @ 99....... and with 273 gears, buahah, maybe 96 mph, just being realistic.

The only comment I have is several people seem to think the notchback is better for drag racing and I think the hatchback is better due to the weight distribution being more to the rear of the car therefore increasing rearwheel traction.

Do alittle more research....

Are you saying the hatchback isn't heavier in the back? I think it is and the hatch would obviously have an aerodynamic advantage.

Drag racing is all about light weight, and the notch has it over the hatch. end of story. If your worried about traction, your not serious. If you were serious, you would have slicks, etc...to take care of any traction issues.

I believe some of the other people responding to this thread have said that there is a 60lb. weight difference and if that weight is on the rear due to the glass hatch then the weight distribution is better. And lightweight is not everything. Who said anything about being serious? What do you mean serious? If I am bracket racing a stock car with street tires I am not serious to you? The more aerodynamic car will run more consistent times if the wind changes. The car with better traction will cut more consistent lights. You can't put any size slick you want on a stock car. Your not allowed to run slicks without a driveshaft loop. If you are talking all out modification of the cars then the weights will end up being the same except you will still have the aero advantage with the slope back and will have a faster car, power being equal.

I'm getting a fiberglass lift off hatch, lexan window and already have an aluminum pro-stock wing for my hatchback so there goes the weight advantage. :D

If weight distribution isnt a major issue, like its not on the mustang, why would you want to carry extra weight (the extra weight also hurts handling, by the way) as long as the car is getting traction? Drag cars should be getting traction if they are serious about running good times. If they are serious about running good times, they want the lightest car available. Therefore notch cars are better for the strip.

I dont think any aerodynamic advantage the hatch might have over the notch means crap on a 1/4 track. Might be nice for highway cruising, but not much else.

High horspower and light weight rules at the drag strip. Its not a complicated formula. I suppose your points could have merit in some cases, but I think overall, the notch cars are better at the strip, which has generally been proven at the strip anyway already.

Now on a street tired car easing off the line to avoid losing traction, is the extra weight on the back gonna help you get off the line fast enough to overcome your weight disadvantage? I seriously dont think so. If your easing out of the hole because you will blow the tires otherwise, a few extra pounds on the rear dont mean much. Even if you do get off the line slightly faster, I think by mid track the weight advantage would overcome you, power being equal.

ps- after re-reading your post, I see you are talking about bracket racing. I concur, the hatch could have advantages in bracket racing. I was talking about heads up drag racing, not a class where a 18 second Lincoln town car could win.

Hatch vs Notch
 

I'm surprised this thread is still alive. It's not that complicated.

The original question was simply; 'Which do you guys prefer, the coupe (notchback) or the hatchback?'

Now we have debates about 'serious' drag car and bickering over weights. C'mon.

The average Fox-bodied Mustang hatchback weighed 3102 (manual) and the notchback weighed 3037.

65 pounds. Big deal.

It's mostly subjective and not about performance. You think the hatch looks 'sleek' and maybe you like the extra storage area, fine.

Prefer the smaller look and more utilitarian style of the notchback, fine too.

Arguments about the fine points of aerodynamics, the precise weight of the hatch vs the notch and arcane drag racing strategies loses sight of the original question, which was simply looking for a preference, not a definition of aerodynamics or the phantom advantages of either model in all-out performance.

This is a lot like the old LX vs GT debates where the tiny weight difference was touted as a disadvantage to the Gt and the LX was called 'plain and boring' by some while others thought the GT was too 'Boy Racer'. So what?

We like what Mustang we like and we buy and drive what we like. It can't really be explained much less defended, nor should it be. It's just a preference, not a comment on our character.

I like the coupe better. It has a more agressive looking stance to me. I used to own a hatch and I have to sat I really like the coupe better.

I started with a gt convt, then a coupe, then a hatch, now im back to yep you guessed it a coupe. Just love the look of them period.

Re: Hatch vs Notch
 

The GT was like 200#s heavier, that's .2 in the quarter. It also depended on how the cars were equipped and I think you would be more likely to find a stripped down notch than hatch(maybe more than 65#s, between the LXs, depending on equipment). The notch is also 'tied' together better, so its less likely to twist(not good for traction).

I always liked the vert but had I known I was going to mod it like I have... I would have gotten a notch.

change of heart guys.

ok. i just looked closer at a coupe. hatch seems to look better.

LX/GT weights
 

Rick:

The Fox-body GT was about 60 pounds heavier than the LX. Most of the differences were cosmetic and consisted of fiberglass body components, not steel. Engine, drivetrain were exactly the same, of course.

Few Mustangs, hatch or notch, came stripped. Not many people bought a brand new Mustang with no A/C or power equipment.

The notchback is tighter but the tiny weight difference between the LX and GT, hatch and notch are not significent and can be easily compensated for.

The question is simply about preference, not what model makes a better racer. You prefer the notchback. Simple as that.

If your looking at it from just a race car standpoint, 60 lbs. is a lot of weight.