So, I've been considering installing a CAI on my '05 RL and I've seen a few threads talking about using the 3G TL AEM CAI with pretty good results. Most of the threads mention the Visionary Racing AEM RL kit with the adapter bracket, but it looks like VR's website is old and broken, and the pics in the threads where people installed it are mostly broken because of the PhotoBucket-pocalypse. I saw that the bracket is actually a Simpson strap you can get at Home Depot, but I don't know which one to use or if it has to be bent into shape. Can any of you tell me which AEM CAI kits are compatible and the bracket specs and how to install and adapt it to the 2G RL, including any relevant mounting points? I'd also like to know if there's anything I should watch out for during the install, anything that's non-intuitive or weird, etc. I'm pretty savvy, but I don't know everything.

Just a couple notes: I know the platform is well-tuned and pretty hard to extract power from, and I know the RL isn't a sports car. I just wanna see if I can get a little better throttle response, and that sound.

 

so, why not build your own 4" diameter intake...instead of using a pre-built 2.5" intake that you will have to modify any way?

you can build the 4" intake out of aluminum piping and silicone couplers.
you can build the 4" intake out of PVC piping and silicone couplers.
you can even buy a 4" intake kit from airraid.com


I have the 4" airraid kit on my TL.
you wouldnt catch me ever with the crappy AEM 2.5" tubes.

 

Well, a hand-built intake tube using tubes, bent tubes, and silicone fittings would be cheaper, but it wouldn't look as nice. I don't have to tools to make nicely-bent tubes, but I'm willing to spend the extra money for a professionally-bent tube designed for my engine (same engine as the 3G TL-S), and AEM is a good company that's been in business for a while and lots of people here use them. I just need to know which ones fit and how to adapt the engine bay mounting. I'm pretty sure the RL wouldn't get anything extra from a 4" tube vs a ~2.5" tube; the throttle body is only 67mm (~2.6") anyway. In fact, it might lose some power from an oversized intake tube because of the reduced intake velocity.

 

you might as well not waste your money on the AEM intake then. As the car comes with a cold air intake system.

there is absolutely no good reason to buy the AEM unless cash is just burning in your pocket. and in that case, you can just give it to me...in the end, same result...you wont gain anything with the AEM intake.

 

also, if you're so hell bent on doing the AEM intake, just do it.
the whole fun of modifying cars is figuring out how to do things, by either fabricating or bending metal to fit your needs.
buy the AEM intake for the TL and then bend some metal to make your own bracket.
you'll find that you dont even need brackets for intake tubes anyway. as most people with the AEM intakes that have attached the bracket, the bracket ends up tearing a giant hole in the tube...which by then, they have wasted their money.

and you're misinformed about velocity intake...the engine is a giant pump. it FORCES air when your foot in on the accelerator.

 

I know it practically has a cold air intake already; pretty much any car made within the past 25 years does. It's just so quiet and I was hoping for better throttle response, a smoother intake with less noise reduction, and a little more power and torque.

 

I'm pretty sure it's the intake kit for the 3G TL-S, but I wanna make sure that's the right one to use. I'd like to know what other people did to adapt the mounting so I at least have something to go from. I would tag them, but I haven't figured out how to do that.

 

@oo7spy You've made a few posts about fitting an AEM 3G TL-S CAI into a 2G RL. Could you elaborate on adapting the mounting to the 2G RL and the potential harness mod?

 

The AEM will not give you that. The AEM will just give you a throatier sound. that's it.

you might as well build the 4" intake which will be better than the AEM, at less cost.

 

@projektvertx I heard you might be the guy to talk to, recommended by oo7spy. Would you be able to provide some input? Feel free to reply or to pm me.

 

I can try my best to help! What would you like to know about this setup?

 

Hi @projektvertx . So I'll just recap. I'm thinking about installing a CAI in my '05 RL. I've seen several people talking about the AEM kit for the 3G TL-S, saying it fits because of the similar engine bay layout, but that the mounting needs to be adapted. I'm thinking it might give me a few hp and ft-lbs of torque, but most importantly better throttle response, with the side effect of letting me hear more intake noise. Visionary Racing used to sell an AEM 3G TL-S CAI with the necessary mounting adapters for the 2G RL, but their website seems broken and it looks like they went out of business. So my real question is: how difficult is it to adapt a CAI kit for the 3G TL-S, such as the AEM kit, to the RL? Are there any weird things I should look out for? And what are some strong points in the engine bay to mount a CAI to in the 2G RL? If it needs to be adapted, can you recommend some good mounting hardware? The car is too nice to slap together a few tube sections with some silicone hose fittings, and I don't have any bending or welding equipment. I'd really like to use a kit that was designed for the J35A8 engine and looks professional. I was thinking a tube that matches the throttle body would be better than one that doesn't. There's some benefit in having an oversized intake tube and tapering it near the throttle body, but I don't have the tools to do it smoothly, so the benefit would be negated.

I hope you can help, but don't feel bad if you can't.

 

I didn't realize that was no longer an option. I'm sure a race shop can custom fab an adapter for you. Probably won't be cheap tho!