I mentioned to a mechanic friend that I was looking to put some Bilsteins on my truck and he sort of pooh-poohed them and recommended Ranchos. Bilsteins seem to always get the nod here, just looking ...
My stock Ford shocks lost rebound dampening at some point before 80K miles, but I did not notice it until I upgraded to the heavier commercial 19.5" wheels. Compression dampening was still okay. You can definitely feel the valving difference on the Rancho between minimum, mid point and maximum settings - I had a hard time telling the difference between one or two settings difference out of the nine.