The worst off-road would be mostly sand, slight mud, rutty road.The question of shocks is not easy to answer. It depends on what kind of ride you want, within limits of course. Shocks by Monroe, which is what I use, compress easily and dampen rebound. Shocks like KYBs are a street shock for handling and will ride rougher. There is a full spectrum on this which is why there is no one size fits all type thing on a recommendation