desert

If you've ever had a 'built for use in Canada' truck, you may be more accepting of the DRL configuration on these trucks. In the mandatory DRL Canada truck, the only way to turn off the DRL is to push your parking brake down one click. This turns your dashboard brake warning light on and you have to wonder if your parking brake is dragging a little. When the DRL first came out in Chevrolet US trucks, you could pull the DRL fuse. With the Canada trucks it takes some moderately serious wiring mods to disable the DRL. My point is that I don't like to be told what to do any more than the next guy but, in this case, there is a relatively convenient out. Just turn the DRL off with the spring loaded headlight switch. If you end up driving around some of the time with the DRL on, what's the harm ? It is conceivable that in some cases it could be safer to drive with the DRL on. I would definitely be annoyed if you couldn't turn them off. Additionally, older Chevy trucks required a mod to keep the low beam on with the high beam. Now all you need to do is the fogs on with high beam mod (and maybe LED fog lights) It's all good.

Tire size ?

285's (I guess they're actually called TOYO A/T Open Country Extreme)

20" Method 'Fat Fives' w/TOYO Wild Country tires

Yea, it's a super soft suction cup with a flip lever to lock it in place. Works good, the instructions recommend sticking it to the windshield to avoid marring the dashboard, but I'm not seeing a problem with where I have it. Good quality for under $20.

10 - 18 mod with LED fogs.

Dee Zee NXt

If you were to move the bar 1/2" toward the tire it would touch the corner of the tire. It sounds like you're considering bending a swaybar to accommodate your exhaust. Maybe something along the lines of bending it slightly down and toward the spare tire. I would guess that you would then have to adjust the strut out (lengthen) to reach the end of the swaybar in it's new position. I doubt altering the overall geometry of the swaybar would hurt, but you might run yourself short of threads adjusting that strut out. You could check with Hellwig, but by the end of the day it sounds to me like you are risking taking on a more difficult job than moving the exhaust.

My exhaust is a 4" Magnaflow 15318 - there is about 5" between my spare and the exhaust - the swaybar is 1/2" from the spare and 1" from the exhaust. Granted its snug but the swaybar doesn't move much. Since the swaybar is made for this particular truck, I think it fits well.