Unpredictable download speeds - Utorrent

[Demay]

Unpredictable download speeds through utorrent - Is this normal?

Sometimes it will work like a dream and Ill get 700 KB/s from the start and all the way through. Other times it starts off slow and might gradually build to a high speed along the way. Other times It just sticks with a mediocre speed like 100 KB/s all the way through, and at its worst about 40/50 KB/s.

I use the same private tracker for my downloads and the files are always well seeded. The rare times that I use a public tracker, I have seen speeds as small as 15 KB/s and lower.

The conclusion is that I can never predict the speed - which I should be able to do, judging by my settings and the seeds and leechers ratio on a file.

Is there anything I should do or change, or is this just the way p2p works?

Thanks

[Switeck]

Are you on AOL in the UK...that's getting their internet through Carphone Warehouse Broadband Services...which is disrupting BitTorrent traffic?

Did you try the 2nd link in my signature after running speed tests to determine your usable upload speed max?

[Demay]

Yep - I'm on crappy AOHELL, which I plan on changing when the contract is up.

So its AOL affecting the speeds then? Even midway through a download?

My upload limit is set to unlimited. It never ever goes above 30 K/B's (which is a rarity anyways) so I've just left it alone.

[Switeck]

As for AOL UK...or more likely Carphone Warehouse Broadband Services:

http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=46778

...Or more specifically:

http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?pid=362432#p362432