8 is max for basic, 10 for pro, but if using T3 can get higher (14 for pro.) But that's not the no. of downloads, that's the no. of sources per download file.

BTW on 256/64 plan which I was on up until early this year, you won't actually get that speed. NOBODY gets the speeds quoted by their ISP. There are speed (overhead) losses due to distance from ISP, quality of line, losses due to equipment such as modem/router. My speed was around 27/6 KB/s from memory.

I was always uploading. I had popular videos for a start, & people would start uploading almost as soon as I connected. lol Your settings are similar to what mine were.

In my experience, I always seem to do better when uploading. I also try to share similar to what I am downloading at the time. In that way it helps me to find & connect to users with files I am looking for.

Try using the advanced search options, namely, Find More Results. That can be very handy to use every now & again. I also re-do my searches. Searching is & always has been MUCH more effective than using the find more sources/resume, etc. options.

I also use show all qualities & speeds in my searches. Then decide myself whether those that might be difficult to connect to are worthy of choosing.