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Toyota Innova Crysta brake upgrade: Installed Toyota Hilux brakes

22nd September 2022, 13:52 by Ananth Iyer

It would not be wrong to say that the Innova is more SUV than many SUVs out there and that the Hilux has a version which is more Innova than Fortuner underneath its skin.

BHPian sankar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Well, now that I have your attention with the thread title it is not the Hilux you think it is. Am I lying if I say these are Hilux brakes? Absolutely not! It is the Hilux brakes! Whilst I was planning and doing this brake upgrade job the Hilux was not in the radar of TKM for a possible India launch, but now that we have the Hilux here in India people can relate to it and thus the title of the thread!

Note: This thread is a continuation of the Brake Upgrade for the Toyota Innova Crysta posted about four years ago. Instead of posting this update as an addendum on the old thread I thought it might be better make a new post.

As mentioned years ago on the old thread I was looking for a solution to the brake related problems with the Crysta 2.8 automatic variant. A large aftermarket brake rotor with a 4 port or 6 pot caliper was the easy option but since this is a daily driver and not a project vehicle and needs to be serviced at Toyota dealerships something that deviated too much from stock was not an option. I wanted something simpler but better than stock.

That meant looking at stock replacement brake kits, but no one really (read that as no Tier 1 manufacturer) made any aftermarket kit for the Innova Crysta and that was a major bummer. But myself being a self proclaimed expert at cross referencing and using cross platform parts to get things done decided to look at it that way.

That meant looking at the IMV platform and researching about and learning the similarities and dissimilarities of each model i.e., The Hilux, The Fortuner and The Innova. Looks are just skin deep but the genetics are bone deep and that is how these three compare amongst each other. It would not be wrong to say that the Innova is more SUV than many SUVs out there and that the Hilux has a version which is more Innova than Fortuner underneath its skin. So now that you have got the gist of where I am going with this let me without much ado get to the crux of the matter.

For this job I looked up brake upgrade options for the Hilux low rider, it is not its real name, the difference between this model and the Hilux sold here is that the low rider version actually sits lower than the regular Hilux everybody have in their minds when they think "hilux". The Hilux low rider has 5 lug wheels, just like the Innova and unlike the big brawny Hilux or the Fortuner and front suspension bits are more Innova than Fortuner, the front end of the chassis is also more Innova than Fortuner and everything else including the looks, the cabs, the load bed, rear suspension are proper Hilux, but its sold only as a 2WD truck where as the big brawny Hilux gets 2WD and 4WD option. So there it is! The secret of Innova brake upgrade!

So once I had the target model in sight it was relatively easy cross referencing the dimension measurements and all with the stock brake setup of the Crysta. I found that DBA Australia had a matching set in their inventory and decided to move in this direction. Of course there was a made for Innova rotor upgrade from a Thailand manufacturer but I did not feel very comfortable going with a relatively unknown (but popular in Thailand) brake manufacturer. DBA is a quality manufacturer and you can trust their parts just like you would trust a brembo.

This video has all the details of the parts used, part numbers, where I sourced from, at what cost etc etc.. I have had these rotors since the last quarter of 2019 and have used them for three years so far, changed the pads once and I am now using stock pads with these rotors. If you have questions regarding the upgrade do post here and I shall try to answer them. The install was a DIY.

PS: DBA themselves doesn't know that these rotors fit Innova. I have emailed them regarding this cross-compatibility so now they do know.

Here's what BHPian cs_rajesh had to say on the matter: