UDS lid differences

I run two different lids on my UDS, as do two friends of mine. We've all noticed the same thing: The tall lid, made out of 1/3 of a drum, runs much hotter than a Weber lid. With all intakes closed, mine will gradually sneak up to about 275 or so, where with the Weber lid, and one intake open, it's more inclined to stay 225-250. My friends noticed the same thing. I do know the exhaust is bigger on the tall lid; it works about to about 20% bigger. Do you think that's what the difference is? Maybe I should throttle that exhaust just a little? I know it's bad to close the exhaust too much (creosote). It seems like we're getting a decent seal with either lid. I've also noticed the problem is worse on windy days, probably because of having one big hole instead of 4 little ones. Thoughts? BTW- My thermo is 12" long (not braggin'), and about an inch under the meat.

I would think it would be a leaky lid, but I know of three drums all acting the same way. The exhaust on the barrel lid is the 2" pipe fitting it came with. I added a 9" tall stack to mine, which seemed to help, but it still runs hotter. This weekend, I'm gonna try throttling the exhaust a little and see what happens. If I close the exhaust, it dies quickly. I may also experiment with sealing the lid somehow. I keep wondering if a single large opening somehow behaves differently than 4 or more small ones.

I prefer the barrel lid since it looks cooler, and has more capacity. I can stack grates and get 3 levels if I want.