Here are what you could take some simple steps to optimize your speeds.
- Cap your upload (most important). Set your upload speed to approximately 80 percent of your maximum upload rate.
- Hack the max TCP connections (XP SP2 and above). The default TCP connections are limited to a maximum of 10. This seriously hurts your downloading speed because it limits you connect to a high amount of IP numbers. It is supposed to slow down viruses because their spreading strategy. A nice way to fix this is to download this patch, it allows you to set the maximum allowed connections to any number you want. Any number between 50 and 100 is OK.
- Check seeds and peers. Check torrents with the best seed/peer ratio. The more seeds (compared to peers) the better. So 50/50 ratio is better than 500/1000.
- Change the default port. By default, BitTorrent uses a port 6881-6999. ISP limits the connection offered on the these ports. Change these to another range. If you're behind a router, make sure you have the ports forwarded or UPnP enabled.
- Disable Windows Firewall. Windows Firewall hates P2P. So disable it and get yourself a decent firewall, Kerio or Zone Alarm for example.