diff --git a/contrib/for-tests/network-tester/webserver.go b/contrib/for-tests/network-tester/webserver.go
index 6f1ce54376e1b..693abec078f2d 100644
--- a/contrib/for-tests/network-tester/webserver.go
+++ b/contrib/for-tests/network-tester/webserver.go
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ func contactOthers(state *State) {
 		Host:   os.Getenv("KUBERNETES_RO_SERVICE_HOST") + ":" + os.Getenv("KUBERNETES_RO_SERVICE_PORT"),
 		Path:   "/api/v1beta1",
 	}
-	client := &client.Client{client.NewRESTClient(&masterRO, "v1beta1", latest.Codec, true)}
+	client := &client.Client{client.NewRESTClient(&masterRO, "v1beta1", latest.Codec, true, 0)}
 
 	// Do this repeatedly, in case there's some propagation delay with getting
 	// newly started pods into the endpoints list.
diff --git a/hack/test-cmd.sh b/hack/test-cmd.sh
index 2ba443456ebff..c5828170da22c 100755
--- a/hack/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/test-cmd.sh
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ __EOF__
   # Pre-condition: frontend replication controller is running
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" 'frontend-controller:'
   # Command
-  kubectl delete rc frontend-controller "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  kubectl stop rc frontend-controller "${kube_flags[@]}"
   # Post-condition: no replication controller is running
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
 
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ __EOF__
   # Pre-condition: frontend and redis-slave
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" 'frontend-controller:redis-slave-controller:'
   # Command
-  kubectl delete rc frontend-controller redis-slave-controller "${kube_flags[@]}" # delete multiple controllers at once
+  kubectl stop rc frontend-controller redis-slave-controller "${kube_flags[@]}" # delete multiple controllers at once
   # Post-condition: no replication controller is running
   kube::test::get_object_assert rc "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
 
diff --git a/pkg/client/helper.go b/pkg/client/helper.go
index 771031375d5ff..601efed8b15ce 100644
--- a/pkg/client/helper.go
+++ b/pkg/client/helper.go
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Transport may be used for custom HTTP behavior. This attribute may not
 	// be specified with the TLS client certificate options.
 	Transport http.RoundTripper
+
+	// QPS indicates the maximum QPS to the master from this client.  If zero, QPS is unlimited.
+	QPS float32
 }
 
 type KubeletConfig struct {
@@ -175,6 +178,9 @@ func SetKubernetesDefaults(config *Config) error {
 		config.Codec = versionInterfaces.Codec
 	}
 	config.LegacyBehavior = (version == "v1beta1" || version == "v1beta2")
+	if config.QPS == 0.0 {
+		config.QPS = 5.0
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -195,7 +201,7 @@ func RESTClientFor(config *Config) (*RESTClient, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	client := NewRESTClient(baseURL, config.Version, config.Codec, config.LegacyBehavior)
+	client := NewRESTClient(baseURL, config.Version, config.Codec, config.LegacyBehavior, config.QPS)
 
 	transport, err := TransportFor(config)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/client/helper_test.go b/pkg/client/helper_test.go
index 932f423a1a6e7..5045dac4e224a 100644
--- a/pkg/client/helper_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/helper_test.go
@@ -273,6 +273,7 @@ func TestSetKubernetesDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 				Version:        latest.Version,
 				Codec:          latest.Codec,
 				LegacyBehavior: (latest.Version == "v1beta1" || latest.Version == "v1beta2"),
+				QPS:            5,
 			},
 			false,
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/client/restclient.go b/pkg/client/restclient.go
index 55e01aca92821..c603e5df88ff9 100644
--- a/pkg/client/restclient.go
+++ b/pkg/client/restclient.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/util"
 )
 
 // RESTClient imposes common Kubernetes API conventions on a set of resource paths.
@@ -50,13 +51,16 @@ type RESTClient struct {
 	Client HTTPClient
 
 	Timeout time.Duration
+
+	// TODO extract this into a wrapper interface via the RESTClient interface in kubectl.
+	Throttle util.RateLimiter
 }
 
 // NewRESTClient creates a new RESTClient. This client performs generic REST functions
 // such as Get, Put, Post, and Delete on specified paths.  Codec controls encoding and
 // decoding of responses from the server. If this client should use the older, legacy
 // API conventions from Kubernetes API v1beta1 and v1beta2, set legacyBehavior true.
-func NewRESTClient(baseURL *url.URL, apiVersion string, c runtime.Codec, legacyBehavior bool) *RESTClient {
+func NewRESTClient(baseURL *url.URL, apiVersion string, c runtime.Codec, legacyBehavior bool, maxQPS float32) *RESTClient {
 	base := *baseURL
 	if !strings.HasSuffix(base.Path, "/") {
 		base.Path += "/"
@@ -64,6 +68,10 @@ func NewRESTClient(baseURL *url.URL, apiVersion string, c runtime.Codec, legacyB
 	base.RawQuery = ""
 	base.Fragment = ""
 
+	var throttle util.RateLimiter
+	if maxQPS > 0 {
+		throttle = util.NewTokenBucketRateLimiter(maxQPS, 10)
+	}
 	return &RESTClient{
 		baseURL:    &base,
 		apiVersion: apiVersion,
@@ -71,6 +79,8 @@ func NewRESTClient(baseURL *url.URL, apiVersion string, c runtime.Codec, legacyB
 		Codec: c,
 
 		LegacyBehavior: legacyBehavior,
+
+		Throttle: throttle,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -87,11 +97,9 @@ func NewRESTClient(baseURL *url.URL, apiVersion string, c runtime.Codec, legacyB
 // list, ok := resp.(*api.PodList)
 //
 func (c *RESTClient) Verb(verb string) *Request {
-	// TODO: uncomment when Go 1.2 support is dropped
-	//var timeout time.Duration = 0
-	// if c.Client != nil {
-	// 	timeout = c.Client.Timeout
-	// }
+	if c.Throttle != nil {
+		c.Throttle.Accept()
+	}
 	return NewRequest(c.Client, verb, c.baseURL, c.apiVersion, c.Codec, c.LegacyBehavior, c.LegacyBehavior).Timeout(c.Timeout)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/config/config_test.go b/pkg/config/config_test.go
index dc925da6e58e9..d1857c334c571 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config_test.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func getFakeClient(t *testing.T, validURLs []string) (ClientPosterFunc, *httptes
 	return func(mapping *meta.RESTMapping) (RESTClientPoster, error) {
 		fakeCodec := runtime.CodecFor(api.Scheme, "v1beta1")
 		fakeUri, _ := url.Parse(server.URL + "/api/v1beta1")
-		return client.NewRESTClient(fakeUri, "v1beta1", fakeCodec, true), nil
+		return client.NewRESTClient(fakeUri, "v1beta1", fakeCodec, true, 0), nil
 	}, server
 }