Updated
| Feature | Fleece Performance - 94-02 HX35 63mm FMW Holset Cheetah Turbocharger (FPE-HX3… | 5494878RX Upgrade 6.7L Cummins Turbocharger Actuator Calibrate Kit Compatible… |
|---|---|---|
| Year Coverage | 1994-2002 RAM 2500 | — |
| Warranty | Manufacturer (per listing) | — |
| Core Charge | None required | — |
| See the Listing | See the Listing |
Different Ram Decades, Different Cummins Engines
Both products serve the Dodge Ram pickup chassis but on completely different decades and engine families.
The Fleece Cheetah upgrade callout:
Fleece HX35 Cheetah: 1994-2002 Ram 5.9L Performance Upgrade
The Fleece Performance HX35 Cheetah is the 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins performance upgrade on the Holset HX35 frame.
The Cheetah HX35 rating:
B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade: 2013-2018 Ram 6.7L Actuator With 2018+ Workflow
The B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is the actuator-only Cummins HE300VG / HE351VE replacement on the 2013-2018 Ram 2500 / 3500 / 4500 / 5500 chassis. The kit ships an adapter harness, detector tool, and turbine-gear positioning instruction.
The B.ZSSY 2018+ programming disclosure:
Rebuilder-Tier Context Across Ram Decades
Different Ram decade carries different rebuilder-tier anchors. The Cheetah occupies the rebuilder-tier institutional level on the 1994-2002 Ram side; the B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is entry-tier on the 2013-2018 Ram side with the rebuilder-tier alternatives running through Geno\'s Garage / City Diesel and BD Diesel HE-series complete-turbo programs.
For the 1994-2002 Ram side, Fleece Performance carries documented institutional review depth on the Cheetah HX35 line (31 reviews at 4.4 / 5 on Thoroughbred Diesel). Rebuilder-tier alternatives on the same chassis include BD Diesel HX35 Stock Replacement, Industrial Injection HX35 specialty, and Holset HX35 OEM reman programs.
For the 2013-2018 Ram side, the B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is the entry-tier actuator-only path with the adapter harness, detector, and turbine-gear positioning instructions. Rebuilder-tier alternatives include Geno\'s Garage / City Diesel actuators with documented 60,000-mile owner reports, BD Diesel HE351VE upgrades, Fleece Performance HE300VG / HE351VE Cheetah variants (different SKUs than this 1994-2002 HX35 Cheetah), and the ASDPI HE351VE / HE300VG complete turbocharger replacements.
If You\'re Coming From The 1994-2002 Ram Side
If you landed on the Fleece HX35 Cheetah listing first, the B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is not the cross-shop on your chassis. The B.ZSSY actuator is a 2013-2018 Ram 6.7L part — different engine, different chassis decade, different turbo frame entirely. The 1994-2002 Ram 5.9L Cummins cross-shop runs through BD Diesel HX35 Stock Replacement, Industrial Injection HX35 alternatives, or other Fleece Performance Cheetah variants on the same chassis at the upgrade tier.
Install Discipline Across The Two Sides
The labor envelopes on these two SKUs differ as much as the engine families do. The Fleece HX35 Cheetah on the 1994-2002 chassis bolts up to the OE manifold and downpipe after the failed HX35 comes off — straightforward complete-turbo replacement in a few hours of bench-friendly work. The B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade on the 2013-2018 chassis requires the actuator-only swap on the existing HE300VG / HE351VE turbo (no turbo removal needed), the turbine-gear left-limit positioning before reassembly, and the post-install calibration procedure that the bundled tools handle on 2013-2017 chassis years but require the separate security bypass OBD2 cable on 2018+ Ram models.
For shops moving between both Ram decades, the workflow muscle memory is structurally different. The 1994-2002 chassis is mechanical-wastegate complete-turbo work; the 2013-2018 chassis is electronic-actuator-on-existing-turbo work with Cummins-side programming. Cross-stocking both lets the shop cover both Ram pickup generations, but the labor-side skill sets do not transfer directly between decades.
If You\'re Coming From The 2013-2018 Ram Side
If you landed on the B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade listing first, the Fleece HX35 Cheetah is not the cross-shop on your chassis. The Cheetah is a 1994-2002 Ram 5.9L Cummins part — different engine generation, different turbo frame, different chassis decade. The 2013-2018 Ram 6.7L Cummins cross-shop runs through the actuator-vs-cartridge-vs-complete diagnostic decision tree: the WOLLAHS or B.ZSSY 5494878RX actuator at sub-200k mileage, the Holset HE351VE Cartridge CHRA when housings pass inspection, the ASDPI HE351VE / HE300VG or Fleece Performance HE300VG variant Cheetah complete turbos above 200k miles.
For underlying turbocharger engineering background, the Wikipedia turbocharger reference documents the compressor-and-turbine architecture both kits implement on their respective Cummins decades. The TSReman Turbo University service-part catalog publishes the Holset HX35 cross-reference manifest cited by the Cheetah listing and the HE300VG / HE451VE actuator chain cited by the B.ZSSY listing. The Rotomaster understanding turbochargers reference covers the rebuilder-tier diagnostic protocol across both Ram chassis generations.
Verdict: Ram Decade Selects The Part
No head-to-head winner. Different chassis decades, different Cummins engines, different turbo frames, different SKU classes.
Pick the Fleece Performance HX35 Cheetah for a 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins performance upgrade. Pick the B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade for a 2013-2018 Ram 6.7L electronic-actuator failure, planning the separate security bypass OBD2 cable on 2018+ chassis.
1994-2002 Ram 5.9L performance upgrade:
Check Price on Amazon2013-2018 Ram 6.7L upgrade actuator path:
Check Price on AmazonRam Cummins Cross-Decade Questions
- Are these two parts cross-shoppable on the same vehicle?
- No. The Fleece HX35 Cheetah is a complete-turbo upgrade for the 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins on the fixed-geometry Holset HX35 frame. The B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is an actuator-only kit for the variable-geometry Holset HE300VG / HE451VE turbo on the 2013-2018 Cummins 6.7L Ram. Different chassis decades, different Cummins engine displacements (5.9L vs 6.7L), different turbo frames (HX35 fixed vs HE300VG/HE351VE variable), different SKU classes.
- What is the B.ZSSY 2018+ programming gotcha?
- The B.ZSSY listing flags that the bundled calibration instructions do not work on 2018 and later Ram models — the programming module gets stuck in calibration mode without a separate security bypass OBD2 cable. For 2013-2017 Ram chassis the kit installs directly with the bundled tooling; for 2018+ chassis the operator needs to source the bypass cable separately. The Fleece HX35 Cheetah has no equivalent programming gotcha because the 1994-2002 chassis runs a mechanical wastegate without an electronic actuator at all.
- Which is right for a 1994-2002 Ram 5.9L Cummins owner?
- The Fleece Performance HX35 Cheetah is the rebuilder-tier upgrade path for 1994-2002 Ram 5.9L Cummins owners running aftermarket fueling above the OE envelope. The B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is NOT a 1994-2002 chassis part — it serves the 2013-2018 Cummins 6.7L electronic VGT actuator failure mode that does not exist on the 1994-2002 mechanical-wastegate HX35 platform. Cross-shopping these is structurally impossible on a 1994-2002 chassis.
- Which is right for a 2013-2018 Ram 6.7L Cummins owner?
- The B.ZSSY 5494878RX Upgrade is the actuator-only upgrade-tier path with the adapter harness + detector + turbine-gear positioning instruction — but plan for a separate security bypass OBD2 cable on 2018+ Ram chassis. The Fleece HX35 Cheetah is NOT a 2013-2018 chassis part. For 2013-2018 Ram owners wanting the rebuilder-tier complete-turbo path, Fleece Performance does manufacture HE300VG / HE351VE Cheetah variants for the 6.7L generation under different part numbers — those are the equivalent rebuilder-tier upgrade on the modern chassis.
Use our Turbo Replacement Cost Estimator to size aftermarket spend on either Ram Cummins generation. For the broader heavy-duty diesel turbocharger context, route to the cross-engine turbocharger roundup.