Sometimes it doesn’t matter how grippy your tires are or how much ground clearance you have – the only way you can go further into the wilderness in your Jeep is by having enough light in front of you. One of JK-Forum’s vendors, J.W. Speaker, wants to provide you that with the new versions of some of its products.
Up front, you can outfit your 2007-2014 Wrangler or Wrangler Unlimited with the company’s DOT-compliant Model 8700 Evolution J LED headlights. They’re available individually or in two-piece kits with black or chrome bezels. Prices for these plug-and-play units start at $420 and effective output ranges from a low of 750 to a high of 1,150 lumens.
The Model 6145 and Model 6150 J Series LED Jeep Fog Lights are priced at $400. The two-light kits, which feature four-inch fogs, are available with black or chrome bezels and black, chrome, or nickel housings, depending on which model you’re considering. Both models cut through the murk with an effective output of 610 lumens.
You 2007-2010 Wrangler owners are in luck because you can retrofit the 6145s to your vehicle. Just plug and play. If you own a 2011-2012 Wrangler or Grand Cherokee, you’ll have to splice in the 6145s’ wiring.
J.W. Speaker is also offering a variety of LED auxiliary lights in both round and oval cases. The TS3001R and TS3001V models are available with driving or pencil beams. Both of them retail for $205.
The six-inch round TS3001Rs and the 7″ X 5″ oval TS3001Vs can be mounted on the A-pillar, front bumper, or roof. Pricing for the ECE-compliant Model TS4000 ECE LED Auxiliary Lights has not been released yet.
Out back, you can swap out your 2007-2014 Wrangler’s or Wrangler Unlimited’s tail lights for J.W. Speaker’s Jeep-specific Model 279 J Series LED units. Those go for $380.
You can check out all of the above lights by taking a look at J.W. Speaker’s catalogue. We’ve put the link to it here.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
