I drive on HD Bilsteins in Michigan, the worst roads in the Universe. It can get a bit rough at times, but on smooth roads, the car handles very well, no wavy Buick like ride, you feel every texture. I like that the wheels always feel firmly on the pavement, so when you hit a bump, especially turning, like an on-ramp, you feel connected to the road. If you like sporty, then go for Bilstein HDs.

As for loose ball joints, they can fail at some point. What will happen is that the wheel on the broken side will rotate either full right or left, causing you to spin out and the car will not be drivable. If this happens during normal driving, a major crash could result. I saw it happen to an old Duster on the interstate. The wheels were splayed out at awful angles, and then snap, a tie rod broke and the car spun out in the middle of the freeway at 70 mph. Not fun, and no Danny Sullivan-type save possible either.

If you're doing all that work in that area, might as well do the ball joints if they look at all worn on you, and get it over with