diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## 0.4.5
+
+Add `openSocketConnectionSize` and increase default chunk size to 8192.
+
 ## 0.4.4
 
 Add `managerModifyRequest` field to `ManagerSettings`.
diff --git a/Network/HTTP/Client/Connection.hs b/Network/HTTP/Client/Connection.hs
--- a/Network/HTTP/Client/Connection.hs
+++ b/Network/HTTP/Client/Connection.hs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     , connectionDropTillBlankLine
     , dummyConnection
     , openSocketConnection
+    , openSocketConnectionSize
     , makeConnection
     ) where
 
@@ -95,9 +96,9 @@
         , connectionClose = c
         }
 
-socketConnection :: Socket -> IO Connection
-socketConnection socket = makeConnection
-    (recv socket 4096)
+socketConnection :: Socket -> Int -> IO Connection
+socketConnection socket chunksize = makeConnection
+    (recv socket chunksize)
     (sendAll socket)
     (sClose socket)
 
@@ -106,7 +107,15 @@
                      -> String -- ^ host
                      -> Int -- ^ port
                      -> IO Connection
-openSocketConnection tweakSocket hostAddress host port = do
+openSocketConnection f = openSocketConnectionSize f 8192
+
+openSocketConnectionSize :: (Socket -> IO ())
+                         -> Int -- ^ chunk size
+                         -> Maybe HostAddress
+                         -> String -- ^ host
+                         -> Int -- ^ port
+                         -> IO Connection
+openSocketConnectionSize tweakSocket chunksize hostAddress host port = do
     let hints = NS.defaultHints {
                           NS.addrFlags = [NS.AI_ADDRCONFIG]
                         , NS.addrSocketType = NS.Stream
@@ -134,7 +143,7 @@
                 NS.setSocketOption sock NS.NoDelay 1
                 NS.connect sock (NS.addrAddress addr)
                 tweakSocket sock
-                socketConnection sock)
+                socketConnection sock chunksize)
 
 firstSuccessful :: [NS.AddrInfo] -> (NS.AddrInfo -> IO a) -> IO a
 firstSuccessful []     _  = error "getAddrInfo returned empty list"
diff --git a/Network/HTTP/Client/Manager.hs b/Network/HTTP/Client/Manager.hs
--- a/Network/HTTP/Client/Manager.hs
+++ b/Network/HTTP/Client/Manager.hs
@@ -58,6 +58,13 @@
                           -> IO (Maybe NS.HostAddress -> String -> Int -> IO Connection)
 rawConnectionModifySocket = return . openSocketConnection
 
+-- | Same as @rawConnectionModifySocket@, but also takes in a chunk size.
+--
+-- Since 0.4.5
+rawConnectionModifySocketSize :: (NS.Socket -> IO ())
+                              -> IO (Int -> Maybe NS.HostAddress -> String -> Int -> IO Connection)
+rawConnectionModifySocketSize = return . openSocketConnectionSize
+
 -- | Default value for @ManagerSettings@.
 --
 -- Note that this value does /not/ have support for SSL/TLS. If you need to
diff --git a/http-client.cabal b/http-client.cabal
--- a/http-client.cabal
+++ b/http-client.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                http-client
-version:             0.4.4
+version:             0.4.5
 synopsis:            An HTTP client engine, intended as a base layer for more user-friendly packages.
 description:         This codebase has been refactored from http-conduit.
 homepage:            https://github.com/snoyberg/http-client