diff --git a/include/scoreboard.h b/include/scoreboard.h
index bf43cd3..75a2e1f 100644
--- a/include/scoreboard.h
+++ b/include/scoreboard.h
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ typedef struct {
                                          */
     apr_time_t restart_time;
     int             lb_limit;
+    unsigned short  load_percentage;
 } global_score;
 
 /* stuff which the parent generally writes and the children rarely read */
diff --git a/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c b/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
index 3849c22..21130bd 100644
--- a/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
+++ b/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
@@ -836,6 +836,18 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(apr_pool_t *p)
             last_non_dead = i;
         }
     }
+
+    {
+        unsigned short load_percentage = (100 * (total_non_dead - idle_count)) / total_non_dead;
+
+        if (load_percentage != ap_scoreboard_image->global->load_percentage) {
+            ap_log_error(APLOG_MARK, APLOG_NOTICE, 0, ap_server_conf, 
+                "changing load percentage from %u to %u (total non dead = %u, idle count = %u)", 
+                ap_scoreboard_image->global->load_percentage, load_percentage, total_non_dead, idle_count);
+            ap_scoreboard_image->global->load_percentage = load_percentage;
+        }
+    }
+
     ap_max_daemons_limit = last_non_dead + 1;
     if (idle_count > ap_daemons_max_free) {
         /* kill off one child... we use the pod because that'll cause it to
diff --git a/server/protocol.c b/server/protocol.c
index e5b2e03..49f1888 100644
--- a/server/protocol.c
+++ b/server/protocol.c
@@ -834,6 +834,36 @@ AP_DECLARE(void) ap_get_mime_headers(request_rec *r)
     apr_brigade_destroy(tmp_bb);
 }
 
+static apr_interval_time_t adjust_timeout(apr_interval_time_t timeout) {
+	unsigned int percentage = ap_scoreboard_image->global->load_percentage;
+
+	if (percentage <= 50) {
+		return timeout;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 60) {
+		return timeout / 2;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 70) {
+		return timeout / 4;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 80) {
+		return timeout / 8;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 90) {
+		return timeout / 16;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 95) {
+		return timeout / 32;
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 97) {
+		return 1000000; // one second in microseconds
+	}
+	if (percentage <= 99) {
+		return 500000; // half second
+	}
+	return 100000; // 0.1 seconds
+}
+
 request_rec *ap_read_request(conn_rec *conn)
 {
     request_rec *r;
@@ -843,6 +873,7 @@ request_rec *ap_read_request(conn_rec *conn)
     apr_bucket_brigade *tmp_bb;
     apr_socket_t *csd;
     apr_interval_time_t cur_timeout;
+    apr_interval_time_t adj_timeout;
 
     apr_pool_create(&p, conn->pool);
     apr_pool_tag(p, "request");
@@ -909,9 +940,10 @@ request_rec *ap_read_request(conn_rec *conn)
      */
     csd = ap_get_module_config(conn->conn_config, &core_module);
     apr_socket_timeout_get(csd, &cur_timeout);
-    if (cur_timeout != conn->base_server->timeout) {
-        apr_socket_timeout_set(csd, conn->base_server->timeout);
-        cur_timeout = conn->base_server->timeout;
+    adj_timeout = adjust_timeout(conn->base_server->timeout);
+    if (cur_timeout != adj_timeout) {
+        apr_socket_timeout_set(csd, adj_timeout);
+        cur_timeout = adj_timeout;
     }
 
     if (!r->assbackwards) {
@@ -967,9 +999,10 @@ request_rec *ap_read_request(conn_rec *conn)
     /* Toggle to the Host:-based vhost's timeout mode to fetch the
      * request body and send the response body, if needed.
      */
-    if (cur_timeout != r->server->timeout) {
-        apr_socket_timeout_set(csd, r->server->timeout);
-        cur_timeout = r->server->timeout;
+    adj_timeout = adjust_timeout(r->server->timeout);
+    if (cur_timeout != adj_timeout) {
+        apr_socket_timeout_set(csd, adj_timeout);
+        cur_timeout = adj_timeout;
     }
 
     /* we may have switched to another server */