diff --git a/internal/blockchain/v0/reactor.go b/internal/blockchain/v0/reactor.go
index 859b0fe97..444dfff56 100644
--- a/internal/blockchain/v0/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/blockchain/v0/reactor.go
@@ -33,10 +33,9 @@ var (
 				ID:                  byte(BlockchainChannel),
 				Priority:            5,
 				SendQueueCapacity:   1000,
-				RecvBufferCapacity:  50 * 4096,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  1024,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: bc.MaxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 100,
+				MaxSendBytes:        100,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/blockchain/v2/reactor.go b/internal/blockchain/v2/reactor.go
index 861b3033d..7e15d9675 100644
--- a/internal/blockchain/v2/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/blockchain/v2/reactor.go
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ func (r *BlockchainReactor) GetChannels() []*p2p.ChannelDescriptor {
 			ID:                  BlockchainChannel,
 			Priority:            5,
 			SendQueueCapacity:   2000,
-			RecvBufferCapacity:  50 * 4096,
+			RecvBufferCapacity:  1024,
 			RecvMessageCapacity: bc.MaxMsgSize,
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/consensus/reactor.go b/internal/consensus/reactor.go
index eb2868f7e..612b83efd 100644
--- a/internal/consensus/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/consensus/reactor.go
@@ -33,11 +33,11 @@ var (
 			MsgType: new(tmcons.Message),
 			Descriptor: &p2p.ChannelDescriptor{
 				ID:                  byte(StateChannel),
-				Priority:            6,
-				SendQueueCapacity:   100,
+				Priority:            8,
+				SendQueueCapacity:   64,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 12000,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        12000,
 			},
 		},
 		DataChannel: {
@@ -47,36 +47,33 @@ var (
 				// stuff. Once we gossip the whole block there is nothing left to send
 				// until next height or round.
 				ID:                  byte(DataChannel),
-				Priority:            10,
-				SendQueueCapacity:   100,
-				RecvBufferCapacity:  50 * 4096,
+				Priority:            12,
+				SendQueueCapacity:   64,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  512,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 40000,
+				MaxSendBytes:        40000,
 			},
 		},
 		VoteChannel: {
 			MsgType: new(tmcons.Message),
 			Descriptor: &p2p.ChannelDescriptor{
 				ID:                  byte(VoteChannel),
-				Priority:            7,
-				SendQueueCapacity:   100,
-				RecvBufferCapacity:  100 * 100,
+				Priority:            10,
+				SendQueueCapacity:   64,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 150,
+				MaxSendBytes:        150,
 			},
 		},
 		VoteSetBitsChannel: {
 			MsgType: new(tmcons.Message),
 			Descriptor: &p2p.ChannelDescriptor{
 				ID:                  byte(VoteSetBitsChannel),
-				Priority:            1,
-				SendQueueCapacity:   2,
-				RecvBufferCapacity:  1024,
+				Priority:            5,
+				SendQueueCapacity:   8,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 50,
+				MaxSendBytes:        50,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/evidence/reactor.go b/internal/evidence/reactor.go
index eca078f44..57202d5e8 100644
--- a/internal/evidence/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/evidence/reactor.go
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ var (
 				ID:                  byte(EvidenceChannel),
 				Priority:            6,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 400,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  32,
+				MaxSendBytes:        400,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/mempool/v0/reactor.go b/internal/mempool/v0/reactor.go
index 1b39b0b6b..5bfff0efe 100644
--- a/internal/mempool/v0/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/mempool/v0/reactor.go
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ func GetChannelShims(config *cfg.MempoolConfig) map[p2p.ChannelID]*p2p.ChannelDe
 				ID:                  byte(mempool.MempoolChannel),
 				Priority:            5,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: batchMsg.Size(),
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 5000,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        5000,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/mempool/v1/reactor.go b/internal/mempool/v1/reactor.go
index 5bb2bbcbb..6fdfe2d06 100644
--- a/internal/mempool/v1/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/mempool/v1/reactor.go
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ func GetChannelShims(config *cfg.MempoolConfig) map[p2p.ChannelID]*p2p.ChannelDe
 				ID:                  byte(mempool.MempoolChannel),
 				Priority:            5,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: batchMsg.Size(),
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 5000,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        5000,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/internal/p2p/pex/reactor.go b/internal/p2p/pex/reactor.go
index 7ff6e35ef..4a8738fd8 100644
--- a/internal/p2p/pex/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/p2p/pex/reactor.go
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ func ChannelDescriptor() conn.ChannelDescriptor {
 		Priority:            1,
 		SendQueueCapacity:   10,
 		RecvMessageCapacity: maxMsgSize,
-
-		MaxSendBytes: 200,
+		RecvBufferCapacity:  32,
+		MaxSendBytes:        200,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -417,6 +417,7 @@ func (r *ReactorV2) sendRequestForPeers() {
 		// no peers are available
 		r.Logger.Debug("no available peers to send request to, waiting...")
 		r.nextRequestTime = time.Now().Add(noAvailablePeersWaitPeriod)
+
 		return
 	}
 	var peerID types.NodeID
diff --git a/internal/p2p/router.go b/internal/p2p/router.go
index 9666794bc..ff4a34ccd 100644
--- a/internal/p2p/router.go
+++ b/internal/p2p/router.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 )
 
-const queueBufferDefault = 4096
+const queueBufferDefault = 32
 
 // ChannelID is an arbitrary channel ID.
 type ChannelID uint16
@@ -365,10 +365,6 @@ func (r *Router) createQueueFactory() (func(int) queue, error) {
 // wrapper message. The caller may provide a size to make the channel buffered,
 // which internally makes the inbound, outbound, and error channel buffered.
 func (r *Router) OpenChannel(chDesc ChannelDescriptor, messageType proto.Message, size int) (*Channel, error) {
-	if size == 0 {
-		size = queueBufferDefault
-	}
-
 	r.channelMtx.Lock()
 	defer r.channelMtx.Unlock()
 
diff --git a/internal/statesync/reactor.go b/internal/statesync/reactor.go
index 513000c1d..1e35c1c3a 100644
--- a/internal/statesync/reactor.go
+++ b/internal/statesync/reactor.go
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ var (
 				Priority:            6,
 				SendQueueCapacity:   10,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: snapshotMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 400,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        400,
 			},
 		},
 		ChunkChannel: {
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ var (
 				Priority:            3,
 				SendQueueCapacity:   4,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: chunkMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 400,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        400,
 			},
 		},
 		LightBlockChannel: {
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ var (
 				Priority:            2,
 				SendQueueCapacity:   10,
 				RecvMessageCapacity: lightBlockMsgSize,
-
-				MaxSendBytes: 400,
+				RecvBufferCapacity:  128,
+				MaxSendBytes:        400,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/node/setup.go b/node/setup.go
index 763713095..ac48353e3 100644
--- a/node/setup.go
+++ b/node/setup.go
@@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ func createPEXReactorV2(
 	router *p2p.Router,
 ) (*pex.ReactorV2, error) {
 
-	channel, err := router.OpenChannel(pex.ChannelDescriptor(), &protop2p.PexMessage{}, 4096)
+	channel, err := router.OpenChannel(pex.ChannelDescriptor(), &protop2p.PexMessage{}, 128)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}