JW Speaker 6145/6145J

matt87951

matt87951

New member
I have suffered with the crappy factory lights long enough in my Jeep, so I am in the process of researching new lights. I think I am pretty well set on JW Speaker for both the headlights and foglights (For good/bad/indifferent). I do, however have a question regarding the 6145J versus 6145. If I am reading everything correctly, JK's 2013 and older require the 6145 and anything 2014+ require the 6145J. However, the wrinkle I will throw in the mix is, what version should the 2013 Rubicon 10A (Which I have) use? The 10A was given some slight updated electronics, which my understanding is the same as the 2014 and newer. Would that mean that a 2013 10A would also require the 6145J due to those updates? Or am I just over thinking this as usual?

I guess the other question is, would the 6145J simple not work on a 2013 or older? I understood the only difference is the anti-flicker being built into the "J" models, instead of having to add an anti-flicker harness separate. Either fog light would require an extra wiring harness or splicing into the existing wiring as well. The "J" model is usually cheaper than the "old" version as well, so that is another reason I would like to have some clarification on this. Any help would be appreciated.
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
matt87951 said:
Fair enough. I'll update once I get a response. I figured I wasn't the only one with a 2013 10A that has thought about this upgrade, specifically after the updated model came out.
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honestly I wasn't aware the 10A had updated electronics so better to go the to source :beer:
 
frenchjk

frenchjk

Caught the Bug
I thought the J indicated that the anti flicker was integrated in the headlight, not and extra thing "lying around" and tough to secure.....:doh: and that it had a halo light around the edge........
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
the J does indicate that the anti flicker is built in. however, the OP is talking about fog lights.there are two sets of fog lights depending on what year the Jeep is
 
frenchjk

frenchjk

Caught the Bug
just read the info the J stands for the same for the fog lights minus the halo light. (adapted to 2014 and up models)
 
matt87951

matt87951

New member
frenchjk said:
I thought the J indicated that the anti flicker was integrated in the headlight, not and extra thing "lying around" and tough to secure.....:doh: and that it had a halo light around the edge........
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jeeeep said:
the J does indicate that the anti flicker is built in. however, the OP is talking about fog lights.there are two sets of fog lights depending on what year the Jeep is
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frenchjk said:
just read the info the J stands for the same for the fog lights minus the halo light. (adapted to 2014 and up models)
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The "J" definitely stands for the "anti-flicker" being built into the light, rather than a separate dongle being necessary to remedy the flicker problem. None of the JW Speaker fog lights have halo's that I am aware of. Their new headlight has the half-halo thing, but as jeeeep mentioned, I am specifically referring for their fog lights in this case. Per the recommendation of jeeeep, I sent in a message to JW Speaker about this to get an answer straight from the source. I haven't heard anything back yet, but it's only been about 3-hours since I sent in my question. I will update the thread once I hear back from them.

My question really boils down to two parts:

  1. Should the 2013 10th Anniversary Rubicon use the 2014+ light from the beginning, due to the slight electrical updates it got (The main updates were within the dash, but the fog lights are also different due to the bumper)?
  2. Can the "J" Series fog light be used on a 2013 or older Wrangler (Understanding that the anti-flicker portion may or may not actually be necessary)?

The question is really based on the fact that neither light is "plug and play", because whichever model you go with, for whatever year (Except the 2007-2010 Wrangler) you will either have to buy a separate wiring harness to convert the plug types so it's truly plug-and-play, or splice the new fog light into your existing fog light wiring. That said, my thoughts are the "J" series should also work on all years.
 
hinrichs

hinrichs

Caught the Bug
I cant comment on the lights themselves, but on my 12 I ran a light bar off the factory wiring, it used a relay and the stock wiring basically just triggered the light itself, and never had an issue. When I got my 15, I swapped it over, did nothing different other than using some dialectic grease to protect the connections, and well it had a fit with the relay buzzing half of the time due to the newer wiring. Prolly doesnt help but I would just get the ones that are for the newer jeep just incase.
 
matt87951

matt87951

New member
matt87951 said:
  1. Should the 2013 10th Anniversary Rubicon use the 2014+ light from the beginning, due to the slight electrical updates it got (The main updates were within the dash, but the fog lights are also different due to the bumper)?
  2. Can the "J" Series fog light be used on a 2013 or older Wrangler (Understanding that the anti-flicker portion may or may not actually be necessary)?
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I ended up getting a response from JW Speaker regarding my two questions above, unfortunately though, the answers are not as helpful as I hoped.

For question #1, JW Speaker said they are not sure if the 10th Anniversary Edition has the same type of fog light signal as 2014+. They did expand a bit further to clarified what the difference between 2013 and 2014 models: In 2014 Jeep started sending the PWM (pulse width modulation) signal to their fog lights, so we added a capacitor into our 6145 fog lights and called them the 6145 J. It is nice to have the confirmation on what the difference is between the lights.

For question #2, JW Speaker was very specific that if you install the 6145J on a vehicle that does not have a PWM signal going to the fogs, the LED's will turn into strobe lights. Of course meaning that I couldn't just go with the 6145J and be good to go. It does definitely depend on the electrical signal going to the fog lights in the Jeep. This was something I had not expected, so I am glad I asked. Unfortunately though, it puts me back at square one as to which lights are required.

Their recommendation was to ask Chrysler whether or not the 10th Anniversary editions do in fact have the updated fog light setup, or if they are the same as the rest of the 2013's. I personally don't know how successful I will be in getting this answered (and I voiced that with them), but I will continue my research and see where it takes me. I will try to ask others with 10A editions to see if anyone has used JW Speaker fogs, and if so - which version. The only other option they could offer is to "try" the lights and see which one works. Obviously with fog lights this expensive, I can just go out and buy a couple sets just to see which work.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'll update the post again once I have some more information.
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
matt87951 said:
I ended up getting a response from JW Speaker regarding my two questions above, unfortunately though, the answers are not as helpful as I hoped.

For question #1, JW Speaker said they are not sure if the 10th Anniversary Edition has the same type of fog light signal as 2014+. They did expand a bit further to clarified what the difference between 2013 and 2014 models: In 2014 Jeep started sending the PWM (pulse width modulation) signal to their fog lights, so we added a capacitor into our 6145 fog lights and called them the 6145 J. It is nice to have the confirmation on what the difference is between the lights.

For question #2, JW Speaker was very specific that if you install the 6145J on a vehicle that does not have a PWM signal going to the fogs, the LED's will turn into strobe lights. Of course meaning that I couldn't just go with the 6145J and be good to go. It does definitely depend on the electrical signal going to the fog lights in the Jeep. This was something I had not expected, so I am glad I asked. Unfortunately though, it puts me back at square one as to which lights are required.

Their recommendation was to ask Chrysler whether or not the 10th Anniversary editions do in fact have the updated fog light setup, or if they are the same as the rest of the 2013's. I personally don't know how successful I will be in getting this answered (and I voiced that with them), but I will continue my research and see where it takes me. I will try to ask others with 10A editions to see if anyone has used JW Speaker fogs, and if so - which version. The only other option they could offer is to "try" the lights and see which one works. Obviously with fog lights this expensive, I can just go out and buy a couple sets just to see which work.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'll update the post again once I have some more information.
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good to know, there must be some way to test the signal
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
Havoc40 said:
An oscilloscope is about the only way I know how to do it. Either a Snap-on type scan tool or dedicated oscope.
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that's what I was thinking but I think my voltage meter can also do a frequency reading. I need to test that out on my 2015
 
matt87951

matt87951

New member
Havoc40 said:
An oscilloscope is about the only way I know how to do it. Either a Snap-on type scan tool or dedicated oscope.
jeeeep said:
that's what I was thinking but I think my voltage meter can also do a frequency reading. I need to test that out on my 2015
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I don't believe I can check this with my voltage meter, I will have to check it out though to be sure. Mine is just your basic voltage meter you can get pretty much anywhere, so I won't hold my breath on it being able to give me any useful data.
 
JeepJeep75

JeepJeep75

New member
Maybe you can pre-arrange a deal with the JW that would allow you to immediately return one set for another.
 
matt87951

matt87951

New member
I heard from a fellow 10th Anniversary edition owner who has the JW Speaker fogs, and he confirmed that the 6145's should be the correct lights (not the model 6145J). This is pretty much what I expected, but happy to finally have an answer on that. Will Update the thread once I have the new lights and can confirm first hand that they work properly, without the PWM dongles/harnesses.
 
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chris4x4

New member
matt87951 said:
I heard from a fellow 10th Anniversary edition owner who has the JW Speaker fogs, and he confirmed that the 6145's should be the correct lights (not the model 6145J). This is pretty much what I expected, but happy to finally have an answer on that. Will Update the thread once I have the new lights and can confirm first hand that they work properly, without the PWM dongles/harnesses.
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Did you ever get a pair of these? I have a 2013 JKUR and was wanting to get a pair. Just not sure which one to get.
 
matt87951

matt87951

New member
chris4x4 said:
Did you ever get a pair of these? I have a 2013 JKUR and was wanting to get a pair. Just not sure which one to get.
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I haven't bought them yet. Plans changed a bit and put the fog lights on hold for a while. I went with a much more expensive upgrade - I purchased and installed a JKS JSpec 3.5" lift, with adjustable front LCA, new front driveshaft, drag link flip, and 35" Ridge Grappler's on my factory rims. I will definitely be getting the fog lights, though I have found myself not using my factory fogs much, so the priority isn't really there anymore. The JW Speaker headlights do well enough that I haven't found the need to really use the factory fog lights. I used to use both my fogs and headlights ALL the time when I still had factory headlights. I will definitely update the thread once I do purchase and install the fog lights though.
 
C

chris4x4

New member
matt87951 said:
I haven't bought them yet. Plans changed a bit and put the fog lights on hold for a while. I went with a much more expensive upgrade - I purchased and installed a JKS JSpec 3.5" lift, with adjustable front LCA, new front driveshaft, drag link flip, and 35" Ridge Grappler's on my factory rims. I will definitely be getting the fog lights, though I have found myself not using my factory fogs much, so the priority isn't really there anymore. The JW Speaker headlights do well enough that I haven't found the need to really use the factory fog lights. I used to use both my fogs and headlights ALL the time when I still had factory headlights. I will definitely update the thread once I do purchase and install the fog lights though.
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Gotcha. I pulled the trigger on a pair of the 6145's, and they should be here tomorrow. Got a great price, so I ordered before getting more input.
 
C

chris4x4

New member
Received them last night, so I'm gonna try to install them tomorrow morning (time permitting), and can give information if needed. My jeep isn't a 10A, but my buddy has one (2013) , so I'll connect them to his, and see if there is any flicker too.
 
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