diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index b0918ddb..5ccd6995 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ group :test do
   gem 'json', '>= 1.8.1', :platforms => [:jruby, :rbx, :ruby_18, :ruby_19]
   gem 'mime-types', '~> 1.25', :platforms => [:jruby, :ruby_18]
   gem 'rspec', '>= 2.14'
-  gem 'rubocop', '>= 0.19', :platforms => [:ruby_19, :ruby_20, :ruby_21]
+  gem 'rubocop', '~> 0.19.0', :platforms => [:ruby_19, :ruby_20, :ruby_21]
   gem 'simplecov', :require => false
   gem 'yardstick'
 end
diff --git a/lib/http.rb b/lib/http.rb
index dc0c6eaf..f4c8460f 100644
--- a/lib/http.rb
+++ b/lib/http.rb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 require 'http/response'
 require 'http/response/body'
 require 'http/response/parser'
-require 'http/backports' if RUBY_VERSION < '1.9.0'
+require 'http/backports'
 
 # HTTP should be easy
 module HTTP
diff --git a/lib/http/backports.rb b/lib/http/backports.rb
index d1d517ea..2f61bb67 100644
--- a/lib/http/backports.rb
+++ b/lib/http/backports.rb
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-require 'http/backports/uri'
-require 'http/backports/base64'
+require 'http/backports/uri'    if RUBY_VERSION < '1.9.3'
+require 'http/backports/base64' if RUBY_VERSION < '1.9.0'
diff --git a/lib/http/client.rb b/lib/http/client.rb
index 34671339..18862c17 100644
--- a/lib/http/client.rb
+++ b/lib/http/client.rb
@@ -19,49 +19,27 @@ def initialize(default_options = {})
     end
 
     # Make an HTTP request
-    def request(verb, uri, options = {})
-      opts = @default_options.merge(options)
+    def request(verb, uri, opts = {})
+      opts    = @default_options.merge(opts)
+      uri     = make_request_uri(uri, opts)
       headers = opts.headers
-      proxy = opts.proxy
+      proxy   = opts.proxy
+      body    = make_request_body(opts, headers)
 
-      request_body = make_request_body(opts, headers)
-      uri, opts = normalize_get_params(uri, opts) if verb == :get
+      req = HTTP::Request.new(verb, uri, headers, proxy, body)
+      res = perform req, opts
 
-      uri = "#{uri}?#{URI.encode_www_form(opts.params)}" if opts.params && !opts.params.empty?
-
-      request = HTTP::Request.new(verb, uri, headers, proxy, request_body)
-      perform request, opts
-    end
-
-    # Perform the HTTP request (following redirects if needed)
-    def perform(req, options)
-      res = perform_without_following_redirects req, options
-
-      if options.follow
-        res = Redirector.new(options.follow).perform req, res do |request|
-          perform_without_following_redirects request, options
+      if opts.follow
+        res = Redirector.new(opts.follow).perform req, res do |request|
+          perform request, opts
         end
       end
 
       res
     end
 
-    # Read a chunk of the body
-    def readpartial(size = BUFFER_SIZE)
-      return unless @socket
-
-      read_more size
-      chunk = @parser.chunk
-
-      finish_response if @parser.finished?
-
-      chunk
-    end
-
-  private
-
     # Perform a single (no follow) HTTP request
-    def perform_without_following_redirects(req, options)
+    def perform(req, options)
       # finish previous response if client was re-used
       # TODO: this is pretty wrong, as socket shoud be part of response
       #       connection, so that re-use of client will not break multiple
@@ -90,6 +68,20 @@ def perform_without_following_redirects(req, options)
       res
     end
 
+    # Read a chunk of the body
+    def readpartial(size = BUFFER_SIZE)
+      return unless @socket
+
+      read_more size
+      chunk = @parser.chunk
+
+      finish_response if @parser.finished?
+
+      chunk
+    end
+
+  private
+
     # Initialize TLS connection
     def start_tls(socket, options)
       # TODO: abstract away SSLContexts so we can use other TLS libraries
@@ -100,6 +92,18 @@ def start_tls(socket, options)
       socket
     end
 
+    # Merges query params if needed
+    def make_request_uri(uri, options)
+      uri = URI uri.to_s unless uri.is_a? URI
+
+      if options.params && !options.params.empty?
+        params    = CGI.parse(uri.query.to_s).merge(options.params || {})
+        uri.query = URI.encode_www_form params
+      end
+
+      uri
+    end
+
     # Create the request body object to send
     def make_request_body(opts, headers)
       if opts.body
@@ -128,17 +132,5 @@ def read_more(size)
     rescue EOFError
       false
     end
-
-    # Moves uri get params into the opts.params hash
-    # @return [Array<URI, Hash>]
-    def normalize_get_params(uri, opts)
-      uri = URI(uri) unless uri.is_a?(URI)
-      if uri.query
-        extracted_params_from_uri = Hash[URI.decode_www_form(uri.query)]
-        opts = opts.with_params(extracted_params_from_uri.merge(opts.params || {}))
-        uri.query = nil
-      end
-      [uri, opts]
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/http/backports/uri_spec.rb b/spec/http/backports/uri_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a295cf27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/http/backports/uri_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe URI do
+  describe '.encode_www_form' do
+    it 'properly encodes arrays' do
+      expect(URI.encode_www_form :a => [:b, :c]).to eq 'a=b&a=c'
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/http/client_spec.rb b/spec/http/client_spec.rb
index 9d4abcc1..027b0882 100644
--- a/spec/http/client_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/http/client_spec.rb
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 describe HTTP::Client do
   StubbedClient = Class.new(HTTP::Client) do
-    def perform_without_following_redirects(request, options)
+    def perform(request, options)
       stubs.fetch(request.uri.to_s) { super(request, options) }
     end
 
@@ -70,27 +70,48 @@ def simple_response(body, status = 200)
   end
 
   describe 'parsing params' do
+    let(:client) { HTTP::Client.new }
+    before { allow(client).to receive :perform }
+
     it 'accepts params within the provided URL' do
-      client = HTTP::Client.new
-      allow(client).to receive(:perform)
       expect(HTTP::Request).to receive(:new) do |_, uri|
-        params = CGI.parse(URI(uri).query)
-        expect(params).to eq('foo' => ['bar'])
+        expect(CGI.parse uri.query).to eq('foo' => %w[bar])
       end
 
       client.get('http://example.com/?foo=bar')
     end
 
     it 'combines GET params from the URI with the passed in params' do
-      client = HTTP::Client.new
-      allow(client).to receive(:perform)
       expect(HTTP::Request).to receive(:new) do |_, uri|
-        params = CGI.parse(URI(uri).query)
-        expect(params).to eq('foo' => ['bar'], 'baz' => ['quux'])
+        expect(CGI.parse uri.query).to eq('foo' => %w[bar], 'baz' => %w[quux])
       end
 
       client.get('http://example.com/?foo=bar', :params => {:baz => 'quux'})
     end
+
+    it 'merges duplicate values' do
+      expect(HTTP::Request).to receive(:new) do |_, uri|
+        expect(CGI.parse uri.query).to eq('a' => %w[1 2])
+      end
+
+      client.get('http://example.com/?a=1', :params => {:a => 2})
+    end
+
+    it 'does not modifies query part if no params were given' do
+      expect(HTTP::Request).to receive(:new) do |_, uri|
+        expect(uri.query).to eq 'deadbeef'
+      end
+
+      client.get('http://example.com/?deadbeef')
+    end
+
+    it 'does not corrupts index-less arrays' do
+      expect(HTTP::Request).to receive(:new) do |_, uri|
+        expect(CGI.parse uri.query).to eq 'a[]' => %w[b c], 'd' => %w[e]
+      end
+
+      client.get('http://example.com/?a[]=b&a[]=c', :params => {:d => 'e'})
+    end
   end
 
   describe 'passing json' do