diff --git a/lib/_http_outgoing.js b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
index 25157d34a44298..0a609840a97663 100644
--- a/lib/_http_outgoing.js
+++ b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ exports.OutgoingMessage = OutgoingMessage;
 OutgoingMessage.prototype.setTimeout = function(msecs, callback) {
   if (callback)
     this.on('timeout', callback);
+
   if (!this.socket) {
     this.once('socket', function(socket) {
       socket.setTimeout(msecs);
@@ -133,32 +134,36 @@ OutgoingMessage.prototype._writeRaw = function(data, encoding, callback) {
     return true;
   }
 
-  if (this.connection &&
-      this.connection._httpMessage === this &&
-      this.connection.writable &&
-      !this.connection.destroyed) {
+  var connection = this.connection;
+  if (connection &&
+      connection._httpMessage === this &&
+      connection.writable &&
+      !connection.destroyed) {
     // There might be pending data in the this.output buffer.
-    while (this.output.length) {
-      if (!this.connection.writable) {
-        this._buffer(data, encoding, callback);
-        return false;
+    var outputLength = this.output.length;
+    if (outputLength > 0) {
+      var output = this.output;
+      var outputEncodings = this.outputEncodings;
+      var outputCallbacks = this.outputCallbacks;
+      for (var i = 0; i < outputLength; i++) {
+        connection.write(output[i], outputEncodings[i],
+                         outputCallbacks[i]);
       }
-      var c = this.output.shift();
-      var e = this.outputEncodings.shift();
-      var cb = this.outputCallbacks.shift();
-      this.connection.write(c, e, cb);
+
+      this.output = [];
+      this.outputEncodings = [];
+      this.outputCallbacks = [];
     }
 
     // Directly write to socket.
-    return this.connection.write(data, encoding, callback);
-  } else if (this.connection && this.connection.destroyed) {
+    return connection.write(data, encoding, callback);
+  } else if (connection && connection.destroyed) {
     // The socket was destroyed.  If we're still trying to write to it,
     // then we haven't gotten the 'close' event yet.
     return false;
   } else {
     // buffer, as long as we're not destroyed.
-    this._buffer(data, encoding, callback);
-    return false;
+    return this._buffer(data, encoding, callback);
   }
 };
 
@@ -183,8 +188,6 @@ OutgoingMessage.prototype._storeHeader = function(firstLine, headers) {
     messageHeader: firstLine
   };
 
-  var field, value;
-
   if (headers) {
     var keys = Object.keys(headers);
     var isArray = Array.isArray(headers);
@@ -365,14 +368,16 @@ OutgoingMessage.prototype._renderHeaders = function() {
     throw new Error('Can\'t render headers after they are sent to the client.');
   }
 
-  if (!this._headers) return {};
+  var headersMap = this._headers;
+  if (!headersMap) return {};
 
   var headers = {};
-  var keys = Object.keys(this._headers);
+  var keys = Object.keys(headersMap);
+  var headerNames = this._headerNames;
 
   for (var i = 0, l = keys.length; i < l; i++) {
     var key = keys[i];
-    headers[this._headerNames[key]] = this._headers[key];
+    headers[headerNames[key]] = headersMap[key];
   }
   return headers;
 };
@@ -571,13 +576,24 @@ OutgoingMessage.prototype._finish = function() {
 // This function, outgoingFlush(), is called by both the Server and Client
 // to attempt to flush any pending messages out to the socket.
 OutgoingMessage.prototype._flush = function() {
-  if (this.socket && this.socket.writable) {
-    var ret;
-    while (this.output.length) {
-      var data = this.output.shift();
-      var encoding = this.outputEncodings.shift();
-      var cb = this.outputCallbacks.shift();
-      ret = this.socket.write(data, encoding, cb);
+  var socket = this.socket;
+  var outputLength, ret;
+
+  if (socket && socket.writable) {
+    // There might be remaining data in this.output; write it out
+    outputLength = this.output.length;
+    if (outputLength > 0) {
+      var output = this.output;
+      var outputEncodings = this.outputEncodings;
+      var outputCallbacks = this.outputCallbacks;
+      for (var i = 0; i < outputLength; i++) {
+        ret = socket.write(output[i], outputEncodings[i],
+                           outputCallbacks[i]);
+      }
+
+      this.output = [];
+      this.outputEncodings = [];
+      this.outputCallbacks = [];
     }
 
     if (this.finished) {