I really appreciate all the help.

I figured out a couple of days ago that all this stuff is totally subjective - stiff is stiff and soft is soft... people like whatever people like. The thing is that I have no idea whether or not I'm a "roller skate" kind of person or not and I'd just have to try whatever solution seemed best at the time. It is actually rather amazing that there are solutions for every kind of driving style out there.

I thinking to go with just the Bilstein HD's and my OEM springs with slightly wider tires. That'd be a good first step, anyhow, that wouldn't prevent me from doing other things (swaybars, new springs...) in the future. I got a tip from another forum that using the thinnest pads with HD's produced a 3/4" drop anyhow.

To make the decision easier, I just bought a 1976 BMW 2002 that I can totally stiffen up to satisfy my urges for a sharp handling car!

Thanks to all of you for weighing in on the subject.