diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
index 593b0c4588..308cf074fa 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ public class AsyncHttpClientConfig {
     private final boolean allowSslConnectionPool;
     private final boolean useRawUrl;
     private final boolean removeQueryParamOnRedirect;
+    private final int ioThreadMultiplier;
     private final HostnameVerifier hostnameVerifier;
 
     private AsyncHttpClientConfig(int maxTotalConnections,
@@ -106,6 +107,7 @@ private AsyncHttpClientConfig(int maxTotalConnections,
                                   boolean allowSslConnectionCaching,
                                   boolean useRawUrl,
                                   boolean removeQueryParamOnRedirect,
+                                  int ioThreadMultiplier,
                                   HostnameVerifier hostnameVerifier) {
 
         this.maxTotalConnections = maxTotalConnections;
@@ -131,6 +133,7 @@ private AsyncHttpClientConfig(int maxTotalConnections,
         this.reaper = reaper;
         this.allowSslConnectionPool = allowSslConnectionCaching;
         this.removeQueryParamOnRedirect = removeQueryParamOnRedirect;
+        this.ioThreadMultiplier = ioThreadMultiplier;
         this.hostnameVerifier = hostnameVerifier;
 
         if (applicationThreadPool == null) {
@@ -411,6 +414,14 @@ public boolean isRemoveQueryParamOnRedirect() {
         return removeQueryParamOnRedirect;
     }
 
+    /***
+     *
+     * @return number to multiply by availableProcessors() that will determine # of NioWorkers to use
+     */
+    public int getIoThreadMultiplier() {
+        return ioThreadMultiplier;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Return true if one of the {@link java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService} has been shutdown.
      * @return true if one of the {@link java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService} has been shutdown.
@@ -470,6 +481,7 @@ public Thread newThread(Runnable r) {
         private boolean allowSslConnectionPool = true;
         private boolean useRawUrl = false;
         private boolean removeQueryParamOnRedirect = true;
+        private int ioThreadMultiplier = 2;
         private HostnameVerifier hostnameVerifier = new HostnameVerifier() {
 
             public boolean verify( String s, SSLSession sslSession ) {
@@ -865,6 +877,11 @@ public Builder setUseProxyProperties(boolean useProxyProperties) {
             return this;
         }
 
+        public Builder setIOThreadMultiplier(int multiplier){
+            this.ioThreadMultiplier = multiplier;
+            return this;
+        }
+
         /**
          * Set the {@link HostnameVerifier}
          * @param hostnameVerifier {@link HostnameVerifier}
@@ -903,6 +920,7 @@ public Builder(AsyncHttpClientConfig prototype) {
             requestFilters.addAll(prototype.getRequestFilters());
             responseFilters.addAll(prototype.getResponseFilters());
             useRawUrl = prototype.isUseRawUrl();
+            ioThreadMultiplier = prototype.getIoThreadMultiplier();
         }
 
         /**
@@ -946,6 +964,7 @@ public AsyncHttpClientConfig build() {
                     allowSslConnectionPool,
                     useRawUrl,
                     removeQueryParamOnRedirect,
+                    ioThreadMultiplier,
                     hostnameVerifier);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
index 54eee3860f..fd422ba158 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 import com.ning.http.client.ConnectionsPool;
 import com.ning.http.client.Cookie;
 import com.ning.http.client.FluentCaseInsensitiveStringsMap;
+import com.ning.http.client.FluentStringsMap;
 import com.ning.http.client.HttpResponseBodyPart;
 import com.ning.http.client.HttpResponseHeaders;
 import com.ning.http.client.HttpResponseStatus;
@@ -194,7 +195,9 @@ public NettyAsyncHttpProvider(AsyncHttpClientConfig config) {
             } else {
                 e = Executors.newCachedThreadPool();
             }
-            socketChannelFactory = new NioClientSocketChannelFactory(e, config.executorService());
+            int numWorkers = config.getIoThreadMultiplier()*Runtime.getRuntime().availableProcessors();
+            log.info("numWorkers=" + numWorkers);
+            socketChannelFactory = new NioClientSocketChannelFactory(e, config.executorService(), numWorkers);
         }
         plainBootstrap = new ClientBootstrap(socketChannelFactory);
         secureBootstrap = new ClientBootstrap(socketChannelFactory);
@@ -486,7 +489,8 @@ private static HttpRequest construct(AsyncHttpClientConfig config,
                                          HttpMethod m,
                                          URI uri,
                                          ChannelBuffer buffer) throws IOException {
-        String host = uri.getHost();
+
+        String host = AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getHost(uri);
 
         if (request.getVirtualHost() != null) {
             host = request.getVirtualHost();
@@ -880,7 +884,7 @@ private <T> ListenableFuture<T> doConnect(final Request request, final AsyncHand
 
         try {
             if (proxyServer == null || avoidProxy) {
-                channelFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(uri.getHost(), AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getPort(uri)));
+                channelFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getHost(uri), AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getPort(uri)));
             } else {
                 channelFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(proxyServer.getHost(), proxyServer.getPort()));
             }
@@ -1282,7 +1286,7 @@ private Realm kerberosChallenge(List<String> proxyAuth,
                                     NettyResponseFuture<?> future) throws NTLMEngineException {
         
         URI uri = URI.create(request.getUrl());
-        String host = request.getVirtualHost() == null ? uri.getHost() : request.getVirtualHost();
+        String host = request.getVirtualHost() == null ? AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getHost(uri) : request.getVirtualHost();
         String server = proxyServer == null ? host : proxyServer.getHost();
         try {
             String challengeHeader = spnegoEngine.generateToken(server);
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/AsyncHttpProviderUtils.java b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/AsyncHttpProviderUtils.java
index 7c2b3b74e2..a853ea4e30 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/AsyncHttpProviderUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/AsyncHttpProviderUtils.java
@@ -175,6 +175,13 @@ public final static String getAuthority(URI uri) {
         return url;
     }
 
+    public final static String getHost(URI uri) {
+        String host = uri.getHost();
+        if (host == null) {
+            host = uri.getAuthority();
+        }
+        return host;
+    }
 
     public final static URI getRedirectUri(URI uri, String location) {
         URI newUri = uri.resolve(location);
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/ProxyUtils.java b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/ProxyUtils.java
index c536530d96..0b126d6928 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/ProxyUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/util/ProxyUtils.java
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public class ProxyUtils {
      * @return true if we have to avoid proxy use (obeying non-proxy hosts settings), false otherwise.
      */
     public static boolean avoidProxy(final ProxyServer proxyServer, final Request request) {
-        return avoidProxy(proxyServer, URI.create(request.getUrl()).getHost());
+        return avoidProxy(proxyServer, AsyncHttpProviderUtils.getHost(URI.create(request.getUrl())));
     }
 
     /**