I have a 2012 unlimited sport with 125 miles on it and put it in four wheel drive high for the first time last night and when i was trying to pull a u-turn and had the the wheels fully turned when i hit the gas lightly and the the steering wheel was pulling hard in the opposite direction is this normal?

 

Were you doing it on concrete? If so this really puts a lot of stress on your front end components and could break things. 4WD-high should really only be used offroad or on a surface that will allow the front tires to sort of spin and lose a little traction.

 

ya bad idea. That happens when the t case is engaged. the effect is multiplied if you have lockers engaged. alway use your 4wd on slippery surfaces. that way the tires can skid and pull with minimal negative effects on your drive line.

 

your totally correct i was on concrete when i first put it in 4h and had to pull a u-turn to get on to one of the trails, thanks dude

 

what is the main difference between high and low i know low is made for low speeds and more torque, in what kind of conditions should i be using high or low?

 

Read your owners manual or go online to the Jeep site - there are 4 wheeling instructions there. You really should do that before driving.

 

You would want to use 4 Low when on rough terrain and wanting to go slow. Obviously you can go slow with your transfer case in 4High but 4L gives you the opportunity to really slow down and navigate rough stuff and still get your engine RPM up above idle,and sometimes you will want to idle and still pull through stuff you want to go slow like going down steep hills that are rough but you will want to go slow but keep your wheels rolling to maintain direction etc.
When you are going up steep hills that aren't so rough but you want to go slow doing so in 4 High will get you a high oil light (summer) sometimes and 4L will keep this from happening, same for deep sand etc.

4 High on the other hand is best when traveling at higher speeds that you want more control / traction like winter driving in snow. The real nice thing is that you can just drive along and engauge the 4 H as long as your speed is less than 55 mph. This is particularly good as in the circumstance you experianced in your description. You could have stayed in 2 High until you needed 4 High and just let off the gas and shift it in 4H, no need to stop. You do have to stop to put it in 4L though. Get in a field somewhere and just get used to engauging and disengauging the transfer case. You can get a better understanding of your vehicle that way, and you will be more prepared when you need to use your Jeep in 4WD.

 

thanks a lot for answering man i really appreciate it u just helped me understand the whole 4H/L thing more

 

My reality is that 4L i use only for trails and 4H only during snowstorms. What really helped me was going on a local Jeep club trail event. Really gives you a taste of what your rig can do. You might be surprised. Look up local Jeep clubs and join them on an event.
One thing I didn't know though when I first started is if you have a standard transmission don't freewheel with the clutch in down hills in 4L going fast.! You will disintegrate the clutch. Glad I learned that the easy way.... From this place!