diff --git a/changelog/20907.txt b/changelog/20907.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3f13a659de2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/20907.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+ui: fixes key_bits and signature_bits reverting to default values when editing a pki role
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/app/models/pki/role.js b/ui/app/models/pki/role.js
index bb3d45478aab..621b3f20ced5 100644
--- a/ui/app/models/pki/role.js
+++ b/ui/app/models/pki/role.js
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ export default class PkiRoleModel extends Model {
   })
   keyBits; // no possibleValues because options are dependent on selected key type
 
-  @attr('number', {
+  @attr('string', {
     label: 'Signature bits',
     subText: `Only applicable for key_type 'RSA'. Ignore for other key types.`,
     defaultValue: '0',
diff --git a/ui/lib/core/addon/components/form-field.hbs b/ui/lib/core/addon/components/form-field.hbs
index b3a405fa8bd5..8074a03d55ae 100644
--- a/ui/lib/core/addon/components/form-field.hbs
+++ b/ui/lib/core/addon/components/form-field.hbs
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
               </option>
             {{/if}}
             {{#each (path-or-array @attr.options.possibleValues @model) as |val|}}
-              <option selected={{eq (get @model this.valuePath) (or val.value val)}} value={{or val.value val}}>
+              <option selected={{loose-equal (get @model this.valuePath) (or val.value val)}} value={{or val.value val}}>
                 {{or val.displayName val}}
               </option>
             {{/each}}
diff --git a/ui/lib/core/addon/helpers/loose-equal.js b/ui/lib/core/addon/helpers/loose-equal.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..07c349c2143d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/lib/core/addon/helpers/loose-equal.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import { helper } from '@ember/component/helper';
+
+/* 
+ * use sparingly *
+  ex: logic for an HTML element's selected boolean because <select> values are strings
+  strict equal (===) will fail if the API param is a number
+  <option selected={{loose-equal model.someAttr someOption)}} value={{someOption}}>
+*/
+export function looseEqual([a, b]) {
+  // loose equal 0 == '' returns true, we don't want that
+  if ((a === 0 && b === '') || (a === '' && b === 0)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return a == b;
+}
+
+export default helper(looseEqual);
diff --git a/ui/lib/core/app/helpers/loose-equal.js b/ui/lib/core/app/helpers/loose-equal.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1b70597d1921
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/lib/core/app/helpers/loose-equal.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export { default } from 'core/helpers/loose-equal';
diff --git a/ui/lib/pki/addon/components/pki-key-parameters.hbs b/ui/lib/pki/addon/components/pki-key-parameters.hbs
index 6ec310124adc..d4435b273f9c 100644
--- a/ui/lib/pki/addon/components/pki-key-parameters.hbs
+++ b/ui/lib/pki/addon/components/pki-key-parameters.hbs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
                   </option>
                 {{/if}}
                 {{#each this.keyBitOptions as |val|}}
-                  <option selected={{eq (get @model "keyBits") val}} value={{val}}>
+                  <option selected={{loose-equal (get @model "keyBits") val}} value={{val}}>
                     {{val}}
                   </option>
                 {{/each}}
diff --git a/ui/tests/integration/components/pki/pki-role-form-test.js b/ui/tests/integration/components/pki/pki-role-form-test.js
index eff647658e2a..a2e110c40793 100644
--- a/ui/tests/integration/components/pki/pki-role-form-test.js
+++ b/ui/tests/integration/components/pki/pki-role-form-test.js
@@ -139,4 +139,68 @@ module('Integration | Component | pki-role-form', function (hooks) {
     await click(SELECTORS.roleCreateButton);
     assert.strictEqual(this.model.issuerRef, 'not-default', 'Issuer Ref correctly saved on create');
   });
+
+  test('it should edit a role', async function (assert) {
+    assert.expect(8);
+    this.server.post(`/pki-test/roles/test-role`, (schema, req) => {
+      assert.ok(true, 'Request made to correct endpoint to update role');
+      const request = JSON.parse(req.requestBody);
+      assert.propEqual(
+        request,
+        {
+          allow_ip_sans: true,
+          issuer_ref: 'default',
+          key_bits: '224',
+          key_type: 'ec',
+          key_usage: ['DigitalSignature', 'KeyAgreement', 'KeyEncipherment'],
+          not_before_duration: '30s',
+          require_cn: true,
+          signature_bits: '384',
+          use_csr_common_name: true,
+          use_csr_sans: true,
+        },
+        'sends role params in correct type'
+      );
+      return {};
+    });
+
+    this.store.pushPayload('pki/role', {
+      modelName: 'pki/role',
+      name: 'test-role',
+      backend: 'pki-test',
+      id: 'role-id',
+      key_type: 'rsa',
+    });
+    this.model = this.store.peekRecord('pki/role', 'role-id');
+
+    // setting these params manually because ember transforms to whatever type is defined on the model
+    // but in the 'real' app the model uses openApi and the API returns both attrs as numbers types
+    this.model.keyBits = 3072;
+    this.model.signatureBits = 512;
+
+    await render(
+      hbs`
+      <PkiRoleForm
+        @model={{this.model}}
+        @onCancel={{this.onCancel}}
+        @onSave={{this.onSave}}
+      />
+      `,
+      { owner: this.engine }
+    );
+
+    await click(SELECTORS.keyParams);
+    assert.dom(SELECTORS.keyType).hasValue('rsa');
+    assert.dom(SELECTORS.keyBits).hasValue('3072', 'dropdown has model value, not default value (2048)');
+    assert.dom(SELECTORS.signatureBits).hasValue('512', 'dropdown has model value, not default value (0)');
+
+    await fillIn(SELECTORS.keyType, 'ec');
+    await fillIn(SELECTORS.keyBits, '224');
+    assert.dom(SELECTORS.keyBits).hasValue('224', 'dropdown has selected value, not default value (256)');
+    await fillIn(SELECTORS.signatureBits, '384');
+    assert.dom(SELECTORS.signatureBits).hasValue('384', 'dropdown has selected value, not default value (0)');
+
+    await click(SELECTORS.roleCreateButton);
+    assert.strictEqual(this.model.issuerRef, 'default', 'Issuer Ref correctly saved on create');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/ui/tests/integration/helpers/loose-equal-test.js b/ui/tests/integration/helpers/loose-equal-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a8068f00aa5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/tests/integration/helpers/loose-equal-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { module, test } from 'qunit';
+import { setupRenderingTest } from 'vault/tests/helpers';
+import { render } from '@ember/test-helpers';
+import { hbs } from 'ember-cli-htmlbars';
+import { looseEqual } from 'core/helpers/loose-equal';
+
+module('Integration | Helper | loose-equal', function (hooks) {
+  setupRenderingTest(hooks);
+
+  test('it renders', async function (assert) {
+    this.inputValue = 1234;
+    await render(hbs`{{if (loose-equal "1234" 1234) "true" "false"}}`);
+    assert.dom(this.element).hasText('true');
+
+    this.inputValue = '4567';
+    await render(hbs`{{if (loose-equal "1234" "4567") "true" "false"}}`);
+    assert.dom(this.element).hasText('false');
+  });
+
+  test('it compares values as expected', async function (assert) {
+    assert.true(looseEqual([0, '0']));
+    assert.true(looseEqual([0, 0]));
+    assert.true(looseEqual(['0', '0']));
+    assert.true(looseEqual(['1234', 1234]));
+    assert.true(looseEqual(['1234', '1234']));
+    assert.true(looseEqual([1234, 1234]));
+    assert.true(looseEqual(['abc', 'abc']));
+    assert.true(looseEqual(['', '']));
+
+    // == normally returns true for this comparison, we intercept and return false
+    assert.false(looseEqual(['', 0]));
+    assert.false(looseEqual([0, '']));
+  });
+});