I would like to purchase a true xenon light kit (both low and high beam)for the Crossfire. All over the internet, I see them selling anywhere between $80 and $600. I tell my friends that I would have to spend $600 on it, but one of my friends says that all you have to do is change the halogen bulb with a xenon one, which will probably cost $80. What do I buy? People say that I have to change the ballasts and other stuff...what is that, and what do I need for a true xenon light kit?

 

There's Xenon bulbs (H7), sure $80 would cover it and they'd plug right in place of stock bulbs. But Xenon bulbs are >NOT< HID. HID requires balasts, which the stock Crossfire does not have. $300 for low-beam and another $300 for high beam (though I wouldn't bother, you'd likely rarely use high beam once you have HID's for low beam).

 

What's the difference between a xenon light and a High intensity discharge headlight? In the magazines both words are used interchangably to describe the bluish-purple lights on high end vehicles such as BMW's and Mercedes. Is it the color that is different? And when looking for lights, I see different symbols, such as H7, H1, what's the difference and which one should I get.

 

Xenon is a gas. HID is a method of getting the gas to illuminate. I >think< HID bulbs have Xenon gas in them, but plain Xenon bulbs without HID ballasts just have a normal incandescent filament. HID will be muc higher intensity light, much closer to daylight look. Regular Xenon bulbs are a way to achieve a HID look without paying the money, and depending on the application might be good enough for you. Go browse some of the manufacturer web sites (Phillips, Sylvania, etc.) and read up.

H1, H7, etc. are sizes/shapes of bulbs. Crossfire headlights (high and low) are H7.