This study proposes an improvement to the Triangular Inequality Elimination (TIE) algorithm for vector quantization (VQ). The proposed approach uses recursive and intersection (RI) rules to compensate and enhance the TIE algorithm. The recursive rule changes reference codewords dynamically and produces the smallest candidate group. The intersection rule removes redundant codewords from these candidate groups. The RI-TIE approach avoids over-reliance on the continuity of the input signal. This study tests the contribution of the RI rules using the VQ-based, G.729 standard LSP encoder and some classic images. Results show that the RI rules perform excellently in the TIE algorithm.