diff --git a/src/mainloop.c b/src/mainloop.c
index d642301..a539e8e 100644
--- a/src/mainloop.c
+++ b/src/mainloop.c
@@ -446,8 +446,6 @@ DONE:
 #define SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK 0x02
 #endif
 ssize_t splice(int fd_in, loff_t *off_in, int fd_out, loff_t *off_out, size_t len, unsigned int flags);
-/* what a pipe of splice() takes at once, as sockmap()'s MAXSPLICE */
-#define CBSPLICE 65536
 #endif
 
 /* One way of the relay: from the side src to dst, through the buffer of
@@ -621,13 +619,13 @@ static int cbway(struct cbmap *m, struct cbway *w){
 
 		/* what was buffered goes first: the pipe is read once it is
 		   through */
-		if(!inb && !w->wantbuf && w->left > w->inpipe && !m->term_r[w->src] && !end && w->inpipe < CBSPLICE &&
+		if(!inb && !w->wantbuf && w->left > w->inpipe && !m->term_r[w->src] && !end && w->inpipe < PIPESIZE &&
 		    (rs->ready & (POLLIN | POLLHUP | POLLERR))){
-			if(pipe[0] < 0 && pipe2(pipe, O_NONBLOCK) < 0){
+			if(pipe[0] < 0 && pipenew(pipe) < 0){
 				w->splice = 0;
 				return 1;
 			}
-			n = splice(from, NULL, pipe[1], NULL, (size_t)CBMIN((uint64_t)CBSPLICE - w->inpipe,
+			n = splice(from, NULL, pipe[1], NULL, (size_t)CBMIN((uint64_t)PIPESIZE - w->inpipe,
 				w->left - w->inpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK | SPLICE_F_MOVE);
 			if(n > 0){
 				w->inpipe += n;
diff --git a/src/proxy.h b/src/proxy.h
index 694a0d0..da6dfbf 100644
--- a/src/proxy.h
+++ b/src/proxy.h
@@ -628,6 +628,12 @@ extern struct commands commandhandlers[];
 #define SPLICE_TLS 1
 #define SPLICE_TLSPENDING 2
 extern int (*splicetls)(struct clientparam *param, SOCKET s);
+/* what a pipe of splice() is given at most: 64K, what a pipe holds;
+   built with -DPIPESIZE=<bytes>, pipes are made that large */
+#ifndef PIPESIZE
+#define PIPESIZE 65536
+#endif
+int pipenew(int p[2]);
 #define mapsocket(a,b) ((a->srv->usesplice && !a->nosplice && !a->ndatfilterssrv && !a->ndatfilterscli)?sockmap(a,b,a->srv->usesplice):sockmap(a,b,0))
 #else
 #define mapsocket(a,b) sockmap(a,b, 0)
diff --git a/src/sockmap.c b/src/sockmap.c
index 16af624..5ca5f8c 100644
--- a/src/sockmap.c
+++ b/src/sockmap.c
@@ -36,12 +36,29 @@ ssize_t splice(int fd_in, loff_t *off_in, int fd_out, loff_t *off_out, size_t le
 #define SPLICE_F_GIFT           0x08
 #endif
 
+#ifndef F_SETPIPE_SZ
+#define F_SETPIPE_SZ 1031
+#endif
 
-#define MAXSPLICE 65536
 /* splice() refuses a kernel TLS record that is not data: EINVAL, or EIO
    and EBADMSG on some kernels */
 #define SPLICEREFUSED(e) ((e) == EINVAL || (e) == EIO || (e) == EBADMSG)
 
+/* A pipe for splice(), nonblocking, of PIPESIZE: -1 if there is none to be
+   had, or not of that size. */
+int pipenew(int p[2]){
+	if(pipe2(p, O_NONBLOCK) < 0) return -1;
+#if PIPESIZE != 65536
+	if(fcntl(p[0], F_SETPIPE_SZ, PIPESIZE) < 0){
+		close(p[0]);
+		close(p[1]);
+		p[0] = p[1] = -1;
+		return -1;
+	}
+#endif
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /* With SPLICE_AUTO, when a direction allowed to splice actually does
    (without it, an allowed direction always does).
    A body of known length is spliced if at least splicemin of it is left
@@ -391,7 +408,7 @@ log("done send to client from buf");
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("send to server from pipe");
 #endif
-			res = splice(pipecli[0], NULL, param->remsock, NULL, MIN(MAXSPLICE, inclientpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
+			res = splice(pipecli[0], NULL, param->remsock, NULL, MIN(PIPESIZE, inclientpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
 			/* from a pipe holding data: the socket is full */
 			if(res < 0 && errno == EAGAIN && fiberblockfunc) fiberblockfunc(param->remsock, POLLOUT);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
@@ -430,7 +447,7 @@ log(logbuf);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("send to client from pipe");
 #endif
-			res = splice(pipesrv[0], NULL, param->clisock, NULL, MIN(MAXSPLICE, inserverpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
+			res = splice(pipesrv[0], NULL, param->clisock, NULL, MIN(PIPESIZE, inserverpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
 			/* from a pipe holding data: the socket is full */
 			if(res < 0 && errno == EAGAIN && fiberblockfunc) fiberblockfunc(param->clisock, POLLOUT);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
@@ -462,7 +479,7 @@ log(logbuf);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("read from client to pipe");
 #endif
-			if(pipecli[0] < 0 && pipe2(pipecli, O_NONBLOCK) < 0){
+			if(pipecli[0] < 0 && pipenew(pipecli) < 0){
 				/* no pipe to be had: copy instead */
 				allowcli = splicecli = TOCLIENTPIPE = FROMCLIENTPIPE = 0;
 				if(param->cliinbuf < CLIROOM) TOCLIENTBUF = 1;
@@ -479,7 +496,7 @@ log("read from client to pipe");
 				continue;
 			}
 			errno = 0;
-			res = splice(param->clisock, NULL, pipecli[1], NULL, (int)MIN((uint64_t)MAXSPLICE - inclientpipe, (uint64_t)fromclient-inclientpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
+			res = splice(param->clisock, NULL, pipecli[1], NULL, (int)MIN((uint64_t)PIPESIZE - inclientpipe, (uint64_t)fromclient-inclientpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("client to pipe splice finished\n");
 #if WITHLOG > 1
@@ -521,7 +538,7 @@ log("done read from client to pipe");
 					else if(++streakcli > splicestreak) wantbufcli = 1;
 				}
 				inclientpipe += res;
-				if(inclientpipe >= MAXSPLICE) TOCLIENTPIPE = 0;
+				if(inclientpipe >= PIPESIZE) TOCLIENTPIPE = 0;
 				needaction = 0;
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -530,7 +547,7 @@ log("done read from client to pipe");
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("read from server to pipe\n");
 #endif
-			if(pipesrv[0] < 0 && pipe2(pipesrv, O_NONBLOCK) < 0){
+			if(pipesrv[0] < 0 && pipenew(pipesrv) < 0){
 				allowsrv = splicesrv = TOSERVERPIPE = FROMSERVERPIPE = 0;
 				if(param->srvinbuf < SRVROOM) TOSERVERBUF = 1;
 				continue;
@@ -544,7 +561,7 @@ log("read from server to pipe\n");
 				continue;
 			}
 			errno = 0;
-			res = splice(param->remsock, NULL, pipesrv[1], NULL, MIN(MAXSPLICE - inserverpipe, fromserver - inserverpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
+			res = splice(param->remsock, NULL, pipesrv[1], NULL, MIN(PIPESIZE - inserverpipe, fromserver - inserverpipe), SPLICE_F_NONBLOCK|SPLICE_F_MOVE);
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("server to pipe splice finished\n");
 #if WITHLOG > 1
@@ -586,7 +603,7 @@ log("done read from server to pipe\n");
 			    	param->nreads++;
 				param->statssrv64 += res;
 				inserverpipe += res;
-				if(inserverpipe >= MAXSPLICE) TOSERVERPIPE = 0;
+				if(inserverpipe >= PIPESIZE) TOSERVERPIPE = 0;
 				if(param->bandlimfunc) {
 					int sl1;
 					sl1 = (*param->bandlimfunc)(param, res, 0);
@@ -876,7 +893,7 @@ log("server terminated connection");
 //		}
 #ifdef WITHSPLICE
 		{
-			if(splicecli && fromclient>inclientpipe && !TOCLIENTPIPE && inclientpipe < MAXSPLICE){
+			if(splicecli && fromclient>inclientpipe && !TOCLIENTPIPE && inclientpipe < PIPESIZE){
 				if(!after){
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("wait writing to client pipe");
@@ -916,7 +933,7 @@ log("ready reading from client pipe");
 				}
 				fdsc++;
 			}
-			if(splicesrv && fromserver>inserverpipe && !TOSERVERPIPE && inserverpipe < MAXSPLICE){
+			if(splicesrv && fromserver>inserverpipe && !TOSERVERPIPE && inserverpipe < PIPESIZE){
 				if(!after){
 #ifdef WITHLOG
 log("wait writing to server pipe");