1) enable cache feature (v1.7.1 required or you can find cache system for v1.7 mod in mods section)
2) disable random image (in includes/constants.php:// If you have a lot of images in your database,
// the random image function could make your programm slow.
// Try first to set "SHOW_RANDOM_CAT_IMAGE" to 0.
define('SHOW_RANDOM_IMAGE', 1);
define('SHOW_RANDOM_CAT_IMAGE', 0);
3) make your template code as simple as possible, as less code in your templates, as faster 4images compiles it.
4) optimize your database (you can do it with phpmyadmin)
5) you can enable some debugin information in includes/constants.php:// define("PRINT_STATS", 1);
// define("PRINT_QUERIES", 1);
// define('PRINT_CACHE_MESSAGES', 1);
(just remove // from each line
This will display some information in the footer, which might help you determing the problem.