Struts or Lift Kit for Your 2022 Platinum Edition Truck: What Actually Makes Sense

Struts vs. Lift Kit on a 2022 Platinum Edition: Start Here

The choice really comes down to one question: what tire size do you actually want to run? That single answer drives almost everything else. If you’re staying close to stock rubber, a leveling kit with quality replacement struts is plenty. If you’re chasing 35s or larger, you need a real lift — and everything that comes with it.

What people usually mean by “struts” in this context

On truck forums, “struts” can mean two different things that often get blurred together. The first is straight performance strut replacement — same ride height, better damping. The second is a strut-based leveling kit, which uses an extended strut or a spacer mounted to the existing strut to raise the front a couple of inches and correct the factory nose-down rake.

Most 2022 full-size trucks with Platinum trim sit lower in the front than the rear from the factory. That’s intentional — it accounts for payload — but a lot of owners find the stance looks awkward unloaded. A leveling kit fixes it. The install is typically a manageable one-day job for someone comfortable with suspension work, and you’re not touching control arms, diff drops, or anything else downstream.

What a suspension lift actually involves

A full suspension lift is a different scope of project. You’re usually replacing or relocating control arms, fitting lift blocks or add-a-leafs out back, running new front struts with more travel, and spending real time on alignment afterward. The reward is significant: meaningful ground clearance gains and room for large-diameter tires that a leveling kit simply can’t accommodate.

On a 2022 Platinum, check whether your trim has adaptive or electronic damping before you buy anything. Some Platinum configurations include active suspension components, and a lift kit that doesn’t account for the associated wiring or sensor positions can generate persistent fault codes. Reputable kit manufacturers will flag compatibility — but read the fine print before you order.

Tire fitment is the real fork in the road

A leveling kit typically opens up fitment for tires one to two sizes larger than stock, depending on wheel offset. That covers a lot of the popular aesthetic upgrades without requiring trimming or fender work.

Go bigger than that — especially if you’re targeting 35-inch or 37-inch tires — and you need the lift height, and often a speedometer recalibration, revised wheel offset, and possibly some minor trimming depending on turning radius. The cost and complexity stack up quickly. It’s worth mapping out your end goal before committing to either path, because doing a leveling kit now and a full lift later means paying for alignment twice.

Warranty considerations on a Platinum trim

Platinum trims carry a significant price premium, which makes the warranty question matter more than it would on a base model. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a dealer generally has to demonstrate that your aftermarket part caused the failure before denying a claim. In practice, service departments don’t always work that way, and a lifted truck at a dealership can invite extra scrutiny on unrelated repairs.

A leveling kit occupies a lower-risk position in that conversation than a four-inch suspension lift with relocated control arms. If you’re still within the factory bumper-to-bumper coverage period, that’s worth factoring into your timing or your choice of installer.

Brands worth considering for the 2022 platform

Quality matters more than brand name here. A cheap spacer kit will accelerate wear on strut mounts and bearings, and you’ll feel it within a year. Brands with a solid track record on 2022 full-size truck platforms include Bilstein, Fox, ReadyLIFT, Rough Country, and Eibach, among others. For leveling specifically, an extended-travel strut with geometry designed for the lift — rather than a simple puck spacer stacked on top of the factory strut — tends to produce a better long-term result.

Side-by-side summary

• Leveling kit + quality struts: corrects factory rake, lifts front one to two inches, lower cost, simpler install, appropriate for modest tire upgrades, lower warranty risk
• Full suspension lift: significant height gain across all four corners, accommodates large tires, higher cost, more complex install, requires careful attention to electronics on Platinum trims

Pick your tire size first. Everything else follows from that.