Hey all... a few last thoughts about the factory spare tire mount. I know that Justin mentioned that it can remain intact. (In my case, we used bolt cutters to cut off the dangling chain.) BUT... then it dawned on me... it has to be raised and lowered. On the factory bumper, there's a small hole in the plastic bumper that you have to insert the rod through to raise or lower the unit. This new bumper (at least my prototype) doesn't allow for this. So even though the mount can remain, it could not be actuated. But... having said this, I could not imagine anyone wanting to keep the tire under the truck. The factory bumper covered most of it up, but with the new bumper, you would see it completely... would look horrible. Plus... leaving the tire down there would severely limit the improvements in departure angle.