Rock

I put a 2" level on the front of my '18 Crew, spacer under the strut and, yes, the static ground clearance in the front center of my truck has increased by at least 2", say measured at the center of the front air dam to the ground. The suspension travel has not changed and the rear clearance has not changed under the rear diff, but from ground to running board is definitely higher (according to my dog biffing the jump up for about 2 weeks after the level was installed). If your concern is a higher step into the cab Yes, there is now a higher step into the cab than before the level. The running board moved up, to varying degrees front to rear, with the of rest of the truck in front of the rear axel.

Heck, that's perfect! Nice find. What are you going to do with the other 28?

Foam tape? High density 1/2" thick could stick to the bottom and you could cut a slit from the top for the cords to go through. Cheap, replaceable. I might try it. Edit: Google or Amazon search cable clips. Many options and ideas.

This one. I got the set for my 2018 sliverado 4x4. Fits great. This set replaces the plastic OEM set with aluminum plates (2) plus adds an additional transfer case steel plate. All hardware is included and uses factory mounting holes. I think this is similar to the Z71 factory setup. https://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-shield-kit-23441827.html

Tires. Tires can make a very big difference in ride quality. Go to Tire Rack and filter on ride quality. There are large differences between tires and some get hard as they get older and ride poorly. Try lowering the pressures a bit to see if that helps.

I got a Katskin pandemic-xmas special + coupon for $1300 installed, directly from Katskin on my 2018 LT crew. Installed locally by one of their certified installers, dropped truck off/picked up same day. 3 year warranty on seats and install. I love them. They look and feel great. Only downside is it takes longer for the seat heaters heat to make it through to your butt and back.