You can't assess a CV's status by putting it into a bind, then trying to manually turn it.
Lifting the front off the ground anywhere but the Lower control arms, will force the wheels to go to full droop. The stopping point for them are the sway bar, shocks, or CV bind. One of them three will stop it from dropping any further. At this point the CV is, or is about maxed out (3" total up & 3" down travel), and it will be very hard to turn the wheel by hand. Lifting the wheel off the ground by the LCA hook stops the CV from binding, and is why they are there for a jack point.
In a 4wd with front CV's, a 2"-2.5" lift is the max you can safely crank on the torsion bars. You need to leave some room for travel so they don't fully bind. LCA's flat across on the underside is a "0" reading. The lift is measured at the outer end of the LCA by the ball joint, to the pivot point on the inside by the cross member.
As far as helping you decide on which style.... It's about $$, time, tools, and fab skills. If you have deep pockets, go for the SAS. If your on a budget, then here is some things to think about.
A front drop bracket lift only offers frame height lift, with no travel gains at all. Still have the same up & down measure of 3" each as before. Still have the same distance from the ground to the center cross member and axle. Still have the same distance between ground and the rear torsion bar brackets. All these really offer is to allow for a bigger tire, without trimming the fenders for 33", and minor trimming/ tupperware removal for 35" tires. It also raises the center of gravity. With a body lift and the drop bracket lift, you can clear 35's with no trimming. This really raises the COG.
Coil overs and a body lift will allow 33" tires without much trimming at all, the same as doing a TT & BL. With some trimming and some persuasion with a hammer, you can get 35's to clear at full stuff/turn.
Coil overs & a drop bracket lift with no TT, & no trimming, will fit 33" easy. Add a 2" crank adjustment on the coils, and 35's can be used.
SAS you can set however you want for lift. Bigger the tire, the bigger the axle used.
If you keep it as is, set the TT lift appropriately. If you remove the sway bar for wheeling you will get a smoother ride off road, BUT, you will need to install limit straps so you don't break a CV axle from too much droop and power applied to them simultaneously. The ride is night and day without the sway bar on. You have true IFS this way, and nothing is transferred from wheel to wheel by the sway bar connecting one side to the other. Straps HAVE to be set properly for this.
A SAS set properly will allow you to run HWY speeds and off road, while offering the best amount of articulation possible with larger tires. You also get more strength, better selection of shocks/coils, lockers, & axles/hubs to choose from. You no longer need a body lift this way too.
For half the cost of an SAS, you can use the drop bracket lifts, and coil overs, staying IFS.
For half the cost of that drop bracket setup, you can run coil overs, and trim for up to 35's.
For no cost, do a TT and trim as much as needed for up to 35's. Just remember your on a D35, and the larger the tire, the larger the gearing needed, pus the easier you need to be on the skinny peddle to avoid breakage.
What ever you decide, make sure every single suspension part, is top notch, and replace anything well used or old. this includes all the little bushings for these components, Bj's, TRE's, etc...
@traveler , the stock Motorcraft CV's, are the only ones that were different in collar size's, for the extra 1/2" of articulation with the 95-97 half shafts. The aftermarket units are the same for 95-01. This is "IF" they are still being made as they was in the past. I am noticing a lot of Motorcraft parts are now made in China, and some of these older standards might have changed. Need to cross reference part numbers to see if they are the same or not.
I personally run the IFS coil overs with 2" lift, and a 3" BL on 35" MT's. Deeper gearing, lockers, and deeper gear reduction case helps it tons. It's built for long distance trips across country,but it is also extremely good on trails. I have only a tiny bit of rub at full compression at full wheel lock. It is not a rock crawler. It can and has done it's fair share of playing in the rocks, but it's use was not intended for that. Long HWY cruising to get to Mild trails with the occasional hard obstacle to overcome is what it's built for. I like to camp in the middle of BFE that can only accessed in 4wd, on dirt / rock trails. Like up a Mountain, halfway down a mountain, then another trail to the next mountain climb. Click the Black Hole link in my signature below to see more. There are also a bunch of similar rigs like mine here in the registries to browse thru. Same goes for the SAS rigs.
Take your time, weight out all your options, then decide. I can tell you it is cheaper to make the choice to go as big as you can now, rather than a little lift here, and more lift down the road. Progression costs each time you change it. Gearing & tire size for each change, can add up to a few grand each time.
