I have heard from many people that Bilsteins give a much smoother ride, and that is my plan in the future. Currently I run the cheap ass Skyjacker 6000's on my Dodge and I would not recommend them to anyone in any application. It is an incredibly stiff ride. 35's on 20's dont help, but the shocks could be better. Provided its a truck and I can live with it being a stiff ride, but softer would be nice.
However, I dont think that safety is really a concern with the cheaper shocks. If that is the reasoning you have to give the wife to spend more $$ on shocks then I am all for it, but I dont buy the argument that the Bilsteins are any safer than the cheap ones.