BorgWarner S300 vs S400 vs S480: Which Turbocharger for Your Application?

If you’re spec’ing a turbo for a diesel build or a fleet repower, the BorgWarner S300 vs S400 vs S480 question comes up on nearly every desk. These three frame sizes cover the vast majority of medium and heavy-duty diesel applications on the road today, from a 5.9L Cummins to a 15L Detroit, and picking the wrong one costs you drive pressure, spool time, or top-end power. After 45+ years building and rebuilding turbos, we’ve matched thousands of these units to real engines. Here’s how the S300, S400, and S480 actually stack up, and which one belongs on your application.

BorgWarner S-Series: What the Numbers Actually Mean

The S-Series naming refers to frame size, which dictates the compressor and turbine wheel range that fits inside the housing. Bigger frame equals bigger airflow ceiling, but also more rotating mass and later spool. The trick is matching the frame to your displacement and horsepower target so you get responsive boost without choking the top end.

• S300 (S3 frame): Compressor inducers roughly 52mm to 66mm, supporting about 350 to 650 crank horsepower. The go-to for 5.9L/6.7L Cummins, Detroit Series 60, and CAT C7/C9 applications.
• S400 (S4 frame): Compressor inducers roughly 66mm to 80mm, supporting about 500 to 900+ horsepower. The workhorse for 12L to 15L on-highway engines and moderate performance builds.
• S480 (S4 frame, 80mm): The large end of the S400 family, specifically the 80mm compressor. Built for 700 to 1,000+ horsepower drag, sled pull, and big single conversions.

Both the S400 and S480 share the larger S4 center section and turbine architecture. The S480 is essentially the maxed-out S400 compressor, so people often treat it as its own tier when comparing spool and power. If you want the deep dive on the smaller frame, our complete S300 application guide for Cummins, CAT & Detroit breaks down every common variant.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Here’s the practical breakdown mechanics and fleet managers ask about most. Numbers are typical ranges, not absolutes, since wheel trim and A/R selection shift these figures.

Spec	S300	S400	S480
Compressor inducer	52-66mm	66-80mm	80mm
Horsepower range	350-650 hp	500-900+ hp	700-1,000+ hp
Best displacement	5.9L-9L	10L-15L	10L-15L (high output)
Spool character	Fast, responsive	Moderate	Late, top-end heavy
Typical use	Daily driver, work truck, medium duty	Class 8 highway, tow rig, moderate performance	Race, sled pull, big single swap
Center section	S3 frame	S4 frame	S4 frame

When the S300 Is the Right Call

The S300 is the most popular BorgWarner turbo we stock, and for good reason. On a 5.9L or 6.7L Cummins, a properly sized S300 (think S363 or S366) gives you crisp throttle response, quick spool for towing, and enough airflow to support 500+ horsepower without lag. It’s also the factory-style unit on the Detroit Series 60, where an S300 replacement keeps EGTs in check and drive pressure reasonable.

If you run a work truck, a medium-duty box truck, or a daily-driven tow rig, the S300 almost always wins on drivability. It builds boost early, so you’re not waiting for the turbo to wake up when you pull away from a light with a loaded trailer. For Series 60 owners specifically, our Detroit Series 60 turbocharger guide covers exact part numbers and replacement cost.

Many S300 variants use a wastegate actuator to control boost. When those fail, boost creep and overboost codes follow fast. A quality pneumatic actuator like the Mitsubishi Pneumatic Actuator 4918918935, available from PT Turbo for $83.99, is a common wear item worth keeping on the shelf.

When to Step Up to the S400

Once you’re on a 12L to 15L engine, or you’re pushing past 650 horsepower, the S300 runs out of compressor. That’s where the S400 earns its keep. An S467 or S475 supports serious airflow while still spooling reasonably on a big-displacement engine, because those larger engines move enough exhaust to light the bigger turbine.

The S400 is the standard for Class 8 highway trucks and performance diesel builds that need to make power without cooking the engine. On a stock-frame CAT C7, C9, or a Cummins ISX, the S400-class turbo is the balance point between spool and top-end. If you’re working on a C9 specifically, note that many of those actually run the smaller S200 frame, which we cover in our Caterpillar C9 turbocharger guide.

Larger variable-geometry and wastegated units in this class use heavier-duty actuators. The Garrett Pneumatic Actuator 445963-0040 at $465.52 is the kind of precision unit these bigger applications demand when boost control tolerances are tight.

When You Actually Need the S480

The S480 is not a highway turbo. With an 80mm compressor wheel, it’s built to move massive air for 700 to 1,000+ horsepower, which means it spools late and doesn’t care about low-RPM manners. If you put an S480 on a daily-driven work truck, you’ll hate the lag and the soft bottom end.

Where the S480 shines is competition and big single swaps: sled pulling, drag trucks, and dyno builds where you’re feeding it fuel and RPM. It’s also common as the atmosphere charger in a compound setup, sitting behind a smaller S300 or S400 that handles spool while the S480 provides the top-end flow. In a compound configuration, you get the best of both frames, quick response down low and huge airflow up top.

For smaller performance and OEM turbos that use pneumatic control, replacement actuators matter. The compact Mitsubishi TD03 Pneumatic Actuator 49S3118761 at $104.33 covers many light and medium applications, while the Garrett Pneumatic Actuator 757979-5102 at $240.94 handles higher-load Garrett units.

New vs Remanufactured: What Makes Sense

Once you’ve picked your frame, the next decision is new or remanufactured. For fleet operators and owner-operators watching cost per mile, a quality reman turbo often makes the most sense. Here’s how they compare on the factors that matter.

Factor	New Turbo	Remanufactured Turbo
Cost	Highest	30-50% less
CHRA balance	Factory spec	Rebalanced to factory spec
Wear parts	All new	All new bearings, seals, thrust
Availability	Can be backordered	Usually in stock
Warranty	Yes	Yes, when done right

A properly remanufactured S300, S400, or S480 gets new bearings, seals, and a thrust assembly, with the CHRA balanced to OEM tolerance. The performance difference on a correctly rebuilt unit is negligible, but the savings are real. Browse our remanufactured turbochargers or check the full lineup on our turbo shop page.

Already have a good core? Our turbocharger rebuild service restores your existing unit to spec, which is often the fastest path back to uptime when you’re running a specific OEM part number. If you’re spec’ing something outside these three frames, like a Volvo D12, see our Volvo D12 turbocharger guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put an S400 or S480 on my 5.9L Cummins?

You can, but it’s usually the wrong move for a street truck. A 5.9L doesn’t produce enough exhaust volume to spool an S480 in a reasonable RPM range, so you’ll get heavy lag and poor low-end response. An S400 can work on a hopped-up 5.9L making 600+ horsepower, but for most builds the S300 delivers far better drivability. Save the S480 for competition or a compound setup where a smaller turbo handles spool.

What’s the real difference between an S400 and an S480?

They share the same S4 frame and turbine architecture. The S480 simply uses the largest 80mm compressor wheel in the family. That extra compressor capacity means more top-end airflow for high-horsepower builds, but it also spools noticeably later than a smaller S400 like an S467. Think of

Cross-Reference & Superseded Part Numbers

The turbochargers covered in this article match or supersede the following OEM and manufacturer part numbers. If you are searching by part number, these are the units stocked by PT Turbo for this application:

13009095046  •  169031  •  171898  •  171899  •  171901  •  171904  •  171905  •  171911  •  171912  •  171913  •  171919  •  171920  •  172-784-0503  •  172217  •  174429  •  174847  •  174849  •  176633  •  176634  •  176635  •  176643  •  176644  •  176645  •  176646  •  176647  •  176648  •  176649  •  176650  •  178060  •  178166  •  178167  •  178176  •  178178  •  178184  •  178191  •  178390  •  178404  •  178585  •  178586  •  178587  •  178710  •  178711  •  178713  •  178715  •  178716  •  178717  •  178718  •  178719  •  179074  •  179075  •  315594  •  316472  •  317845  •  317847  •  478585  •  478586  •  478587  •  478709  •  478712  •  478713  •  478714  •  478716  •  478718  •  478720  •  478721  •  478722  •  478731  •  478732  •  478733  •  478734  •  478735  •  478736  •  478737  •  478739  •  478740  •  478741  •  478742  •  478743  •  478744  •  478745  •  478747  •  478748  •  478750  •  478751  •  478752  •  478753  •  478754  •  478755  •  478756  •  478758  •  478759  •  478763  •  479030  •  479031  •  479032  •  479033  •  479034  •  479035  •  479036  •  479514-RMN  •  4917703162  •  53047109901-BILLET  •  53047109904-BILLET  •  A4720901480-RMN  •  NEW-FTR-TWN-TRB  •  RMN-BRG-V2S-TWN  •  RMN-BRG-V2S-TWN-GR-TO  •  RMN-BRG-V2S-TWN-NO

Can’t find your number above? Contact PT Turbo — our team has been matching part numbers since 1978.

Further reading: Learn more about BorgWarner.