HI all,

I am trying to decide whether to buy the 06/07 LX or EX. I am 6'6" and really would prefer the head room in the LX over the moonroof in the EX. The problem is the rear brakes. I know the rear drums in the LX are probably OK 99% of the time but it still bugs me. Everyone has their "thing" about cars and this is one of mine. It wouldn't bother me if the aftermarket had the conversion kits out there right now but they don't.

Does anyone know if you can take the EX rear brakes and swap them in to the LX? I have seen posts in the forums for older civics but nothing on the new ones which makes sense due to the newness of the cars. I know this would probably cost more than just buying the EX but I don't lose the headroom this way. It's not money, it's practicality.

Seriously, the ONLY reason I am interesetd in the EX is the rear discs. I am not a big fan of the alloys and would probably replace them anyway so that's not part of my decision. The moonroof is OK but I have a problem with my head smacking the headliner on the passenger side. It's one of those things I could live with but I would prefer not to if I don't have to.

So, which should I get? Is the swap feasible? I figure if it costs less than about $1500-2000 I have the best of both worlds, disc brakes AND the headroom.

This car will be my first Honda and my firs compact car since a '94 VW Golf III I bought new. There is no comparison between that Golf and this Civic. The civic is amazing. I have test driven the Civic 4 times now and I can honestly say that it may be the BEST car on the market right now, especially under $30K. I have driven the 07 Accord(4cyl), Mazda6(4cyl), Mazda3(2.3L), Jetta, and Rabbit and none of them can compare. The 3 was a huge disappointment. The Jetta 2.5 and Rabbit both have bloated out faster than their engines ahve gained power. The 6 and Accord were underpowered for their size as well. The 6cyl accord and 6 were impressive, but expensive, especially the Accord. The civic feels quick and agile but not so rough that it's unpleasant. It corners rather nicely and parking is a breeze. There is very little engine/road noise and you can really feel the extra power compared to the '04. The dash/speedometer were a bit annoying at first but the more I drove the car, the more I liked it.

I would like some extra power but there are mods for that. There are not many out there yet but I assume they will be coming.

Anyway, thanks for any and all help you may be able to provide and I can't wait to drive my new Tango Red Civi regardless of which one I buy.
FYI: For all the tall people wondering about thisCivic Sedan, the interior space is impressive. I fit fine in the driver and passenger side as far as legroom go in both versions. There is actually more room in the passenger side than in the Accord. The Mazda3 has more than the civic as do the Jetta/GTI/Rabbit. The LX headroom is fine on both front sides. The EX driver side requires a little more recline on the drivers side but isn't that bad. The passenger side is tight. I have about 1 finger width between my head and the moonroof. I don't hit, but I come damn close. Honda needs to put the height adjustable seat on the passenger side as well. The headroom on both Civic's are MUCH better than the 3 but still not as good as the VW's. Rear seat room behind the driver (me) is good enough for my 5'8" wife for trips less than 1 hour. I actually fit back there behind an "average" size adult. The head room is not good though as I have to tilt my head and it's still touching the roof. Still, I am amazed every time I find a small car I can even "fit" in the back seat. Overall, the 06/07 civic has as much functional front passenger space as my '04 Toyota Sienna. It's quite amazing really.

 

I'm pretty sure the rear suspension setup of an EX will bolt up, the question is, has ABS become standard? if yes the entire system might need to be replaced...unsure on that as I don't know how the electronics in the ABS work.

 

4 wheel ABS is standard across the board.
Will the ABS be different for the disc/drum and the disc/disc? Anybody?

 

i'll be honest, my cousin has an 07 EX sedan with the sunroof, and being 6'5, i've yet to hit my head in her car while riding shotgun... either you sit almost entirely upright, or don't slouch as much as me, but either way, i'd think there's still plenty of room over your head unless you're taking the car off road, in which case you're driving the wrong thing

 

the braking for drums and disks has to be different...now it might be just a proportioning valve...or it could be that it's integrated in the ABS system..

 

I don't know about seat angles and slouching. It's hard to tell. I do know that I have realtively "stumpy" legs for my height and most of my height is in my torso (X-Tall Shirts minimum). That is what gets me into head room trouble. My head is NOT touching in the EX but it is definitely only about a fingers width between my head and the sunroof.

I learned a LONG time ago that I had to try on the cars no matter what the specs say.

BTW, My head "topped out" during the test drive while my wife was driving. We were going through an intersection of two 4 lane roads.

 

Thanks Roto. Changing the ABS control system out is probably too much of a PITA to be worth the trouble. I have been leaning towards the EX despite the headroom issue but now I'm just curious.

Like anything else, I'm sure it can bedone if I'm willing to throw enough money at it.

It's probably cheaper and easier to change out the front seats.

 

or learn to slouch and ride with the seat reclined more

 

I'm too old for that!

 

The ex also has vtec and that gives the car more power over the lx.