Clearing 33” spare under bed

Backstory below but what I need help with is should I make a heat shield for my tire, or cut exhaust right after muffler and before rear axle and just put a down turn.

edit: I have already bent the spare tire area to fit the tire, and I have a pelfrey high clearance rear bumper, it is tucked all the way to the bumper hitch
So I just got 255/80r17 Toyo open country at/3 on my konig countersteer typex wheels. I have 5 rims and tires so fitting the spare under bed. I had previously cut the exhaust just after the rear axle where it is pointing almost straight down. It has working great when I had 265/70 bfg tires under there. With the larger tire it close to the exhaust. After taking it to the tire shop they had it pushed far enough forward that it was close to the exhaust and burned the tire. They are replacing the tire.

 

A lot of people just opt to relocate the exhaust. Especially since you can also tuck it up higher if you’re into off-roading.

 

relocate to where? There isn’t much room and the exhaust is right between the spare tire and the leaf spring right now

 

33 skinny hanging under my 2nd gen. Opted to cut it just above the axle. Clears the tire fine, and no longer have a low hanging exhaust to get caught on rocks.

 

thanks. That’s almost exactly the way I have it now. But the exhaust heat started warping the tire

edit: mine exhaust is maybe 1” longer, and right where that black strap is where it started melting the tire

 

I found that without a strap pulling the tire back as far as possible, it tends to work its way forward. It wants to center itself under the tire lift. Pulling it back with the strap gives it that little extra clearance needed with respect to the exhaust, and pumpkin on the axle.

 

You could wrap it with header wrap. Keep the heat off of it.

 

usually just before it goes down further beneath the bumper. I just did an exhaust dump but some people keep the tip.

 

So 2 things:
1 - you can cut the exhaust pipe shorter. I did, been running it like this for 4 years now.



2 - you can also move your spare tire carrier back a little bit. To do that, you remove it completely. Then line up the forward most holes in the carrier with the rearward most holes on the frame, mark where the rearward holes are on the carrier and then drill two new holes. Then reinstall using the new spots. Not a major shift but it does help if you need it.

 

I will probably buy a cheap cam strap to do this. My pelfrey bumper keeps it from mooning much farther back. Thanks

 

I think I will cut it shorter, just gotta run to Napa and get a turn down

 

I just pulled the tire back and cranked it up and it worked ok.

Later on I relocated the hanger back by reusing two of the holes and drilling two new ones….really easy.

When I got my full skids I did the exhaust reroute and chopped off as it comes down over the axle.