My follow up was lacking in some details that I had covered previously in the thread, so for conversations sake, I'll throw a bit more info in here.
I do know that running 4wd on concrete, and even some dry, hard pack surfaces, is a strain on the system. That being said, the ONE time I did run the 4wd system on concrete, was when we received several inches of rain over the weekend. That was when I noticed the initial bind....and just to be clear, I live nearly 400 miles north of LA, so I'm nowhere near what people consider SoCal. But I take no offense to that, I understand that when people in other parts of the country hear that I live in Cali... they automatically assume the LA area. Its all good. 
As for the switchbacks, they were dusty, rocky, desert "roads", with slow crawling sections...that were, in sections, partially covered in snow. This is where I still noticed the binding, but to a lesser degree, due to the tires ability to slip in the dirt. My issue in this situation, and with the system in general, is the binding at even slight turning angles. I'm not talking full lock, although that's definitely binding, but talking a quarter turn of the steering wheel. Take the red mark on your wheel, make it point straight left or right, and that's when I can feel it start to slow the vehicle, even at speed.
In my mind, that minor a steering angle shouldn't be exhibiting binding. If the truck is meant to be an all 'rounder, with rock crawling in its book of tricks. Then the binding should be minimal, if anything, non-existent. There in lies my concern...is my truck broken? Is this normal? I'm not the only who's noticed this trait, so is this acceptable?
For the foreseeable future, I'm just going to live with it. I don't get off road enough for this to bother me, I was just initially concerned about the possibility of damaging my truck. I'm just going to need to be mindful of this finicky trait and love my truck for what it is... the most bad ass factory off roader ever! 
