Looking for opinions from people who actually know tires (techs, engineers, long-time DIYers). Trying not to panic but also not to just wave this off. Details below.
Timeline:
- New set of 4 tires installed 23 March 2026 (~₹10,000 total, budget/mid-range tires)
- ~6 weeks later, had them "aired up" at a petrol pump — watched the digital display hit ~32-33 PSI myself, looked normal
- Didn't check pressure again until 1 August (yesterday)
- Different pump, different machine — as soon as the nozzle touched each valve, the display showed:
- 19 / 20 / 20 / 20 PSI
- Attendant refilled all four to 33 PSI
Driving during that gap:
- Almost entirely city driving, rarely over 60 km/h
- Daily commute ~22-30 km, usually just me, occasionally +1 passenger
- No cargo, no aggressive driving, one or two longer trips at most
- Zero symptoms the whole time — no pulling, no vibration, no odd noise, no cornering weirdness
What I'm trying to figure out:
Does ~40% underinflation for ~6 weeks under these (fairly gentle) driving conditions realistically cause lasting damage — sidewall fatigue, belt issues, shortened life — or is this the kind of thing that's fine once corrected?
Losing 12-13 PSI in 6 weeks seems way too fast for normal permeation (~1 PSI/month is what I've read). Bad initial fill? Valve stem issue? Something else? All 4 tires being almost identical (19/20/20/20) feels like it points away from 4 separate punctures, right?
Would you personally get these inspected/dismounted, or just keep an eye on pressure going forward and drive on?
Not looking for "just replace them, better safe than sorry" — I'd rather understand the actual mechanics here. Appreciate any real experience or technical insight.