Peach Overlanding: From Durban to Cape Mountain Trails (Suzuki Jimny JB74 Story)

The Crash That Started It

Before Peach, I drove a trusty Toyota Etios. A Valentine’s Day fender-bender at a blind intersection wrote it off (everyone was okay). While hunting for a replacement, the Suzuki Jimny kept popping up. A clean, stock 2020 GLX in George sealed the deal — no tint, no mods, just potential.

Early Days of the Suzuki Jimny Build

The plan? Keep it simple: a Front Runner roof rack, a budget lift kit, and Goodyear Wrangler tyres
(my least favourite tyres to date). It looked the part, the overlanding bug bit hard — and life threw a curveball.

A few medical challenges (including a heart failure diagnosis) made me question keeping the Jimny. I even sold the rooftop tent and trailer. One spontaneous 4×4 trip later, the decision was obvious: I wasn’t giving up this little box on wheels. I doubled down.

The Build Begins: Lift, Tyres, Reduction Gears

The proper build started with a 4-inch lift and 30-inch tyres. Then came the 33s, reduction gears, and rock sliders (swapped more times than I’d like to admit). The Jimny shifted from “cute 4×4” to “trail weapon.”

The Turbo Chapter: SG Performance Kit

The SG Performance turbo kit changed everything. Suddenly the Jimny kept up on the N1 and still crawled up Red Hill without drama. We upgraded to a heavy duty clutch knowing 33s and boost
would test the stock unit. The dyno arrived a little too soon and the original clutch tapped out in spectacular fashion — lesson learned.

Since then it’s been smooth: refined tune, gearing matched to tyre size, heat management sorted. The result is a balanced, reliable turbo Jimny JB74 that’s genuinely fun in South Africa’s heat and terrain.

Deep dives: JB74 Mods Index · Reduction gear ratios

Memories from the Trails (Cape Town & Beyond)

The Jimny Gathering 2023 in Clarens turned strangers into close friends — a crew that builds, breaks, and rebuilds together. Around Cape Town, Peach has tackled Tierkloof, Red Hill (Honningklip), and plenty more. A night run up Red Hill stands out: back when the car was stock, I promised myself, “one day I’ll do that climb.” I did — under the stars, with Peach built the way I’d imagined.

Reliability & Real Talk

Despite hard use, the Jimny’s been solid. We’ve replaced three transfer-case chains (expected), a few shocks, and usual consumables. People assume we don’t push it because it hasn’t exploded — truth is knowing when to back off. There’s a fine line between “sending it” and “midnight trail repairs.”

What’s Next for Peach (Upgrades & Goals)

Next big step: portal axles, lockers, and maybe 35s. Goal: the most capable, well-rounded Jimny in South Africa — without losing daily drivability.

We’re also developing Peach Overlanding products, tested on my own car first. Got ideas for storage, mounts or accessories? Let’s prototype together — community collabs and discounted demo units welcome.

Building the Resources I Wish Existed

When I started, local Jimny info was thin. Most threads asked “Will 235s fit?” or “Does the Front Runner rack make noise?” but skipped the technical detail South African owners need. That’s why I created Peach Overlanding — to publish real-world resources, reviews, and guides: reduction gears, and more.

From YouTube rig rundowns to hands-on product tests, the mission is simple: make your Jimny build easier, smarter and more enjoyable. It’s not about profit — it’s about community and creating something useful for every Jimny driver out there.

The Road Ahead

Peach Overlanding is just getting started. This year we’re launching the YouTube channel properly with a full rig rundown, more trail reviews, and step-by-step documentation as the build evolves.

Got a cool Jimny or overland setup? I’d love to feature your rig on the blog in the upcoming Rig Rundown Series. Here’s to another year of builds, trails, and (occasionally) questionable financial decisions — all in the name of adventure.