On Monday I'm picking up a Freelander 2 HSE LUX with the 19 inch wheels and the standard Continental Cross Contact tyres. It's my first Land Rover of any description and so I'm hoping for good things.

I've read a bit on the tyres and the general consensus seems to be that they're not very good on mud and snow. Continental themselves list them as summer tyres yet the pictures I can find on theirs and other sites of the smaller lettering on the sidewalls seems to bear no resemblance to those fitted as OEM to Freelanders. On the Freelander version in amongst the smaller letting it very clearly says M+S (Actually it's difficult to see if it's a dot or a plus but M and S are as clear as day).

It's important to me to understand if these really are M+S tyres as we travel to Germany quite often and often in the Winter.

Does anyone know what the M and S are on these tyres?

Many thanks,

They are M&S tyres, they are not Winter tyres and do not have the winter tyre symbol Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

They may say M+S but with the Continentals I think it must be something to do with shopping as they were without doubt the worst tyre I had on a Freelander in the winter. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

So they're for snow above 7 degrees?

If they're Continental Cross Contact UHP they are a summer tyre despite the M&S symbol on them. If on the other hand they are Continental 4x4 Contact then they are an All Season tyre and can be used in Germany/Austria in the Winter providing there is more than 4mm of tread depth on them.

Mine UHPe are ok in snow, not the best but drivable Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

In Germany the law for snow conditions states tyres must have either the winter tyre symbol (snowflake etc) or be all season tyres which is indicated by M+S on the sidewall.

Trust me I know nothing about how a Freelander handles on any tyres so I'm not disputing what anyone's telling me about how good or bad they might be, but just how much confusion can a tyre company create?

I agree that Continental state the Cross Contact UHP is a summer only tyre but then the pictures of the 'standard' UHP sidewall's do not have M+S. I have only seen M+S on the UHP's fitted to Freelanders hence my quesion. Why would they put M+S on the sidewall if they were not an all season tyre?

Sorry, perhaps this has been discussed to death in the past (if so I couldn't find it)... but I guess I'm thinking these tyres made OEM for Land Rover may not actually be the same UHP tyres we can buy off the shelf?

Stranger things have happened

Just been to look my UHPe state M.S not m&S Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Not the best picture but the best I've seen without being able to take the picture myself. I am 99.9% certain it is a + although I agree hard to see and this is from a UHP fitted to a Freelander.

Click image to enlarge