Ok so here is my two cents...
The majority of times that I see complaints about the coals not being hot enough, longer cook times, problems with temps, etc is when someone is new to the PBC and is using the chimney method to light the coals. There is a learning curve to it. Not that it won't work just as well as the lighter fluid method but to me it is not as simple to get it right.
When using the lighter fluid method I first make sure that the charcoal basket is full and level. Then while the basket is located outside of the PBC I apply a liberal coating of quality fluid like Kingsford. I take the time to make sure I give a complete coating over the coals.
I then move the basket of coals over to the bottom of the PBC right away. I do not give time to let the fluid soak in. That is a mistake. You want the fluid to burn off within a few minutes and light the coals and not soak in.
I light 4 points around the basket and then the center. Then leave the lid off and wait a full 20 minutes.
This 20 minutes is critical because the drum is being heated by the flaming coals while the fluid is burning off. You do not get this happening from using the chimney method therefore you need to leave the coals in there longer to allow the drum to warm up before placing your food in there.
Cold air wants to fall while hot air wants to rise. A cold drum will cause the hot coals to battle with the cold air. This battle will slow things down tremendously and extend cooking times by lowering temps.
Now this is my two cents and back to our regularly scheduled program.