They look and feel like tailgate bars, but they don't compress at all. They appear to be carved from a single stick. Before I install the spacers, I check them out, be it the hood, hangers, tailgate, etc. They can't be compressed by any reasonable safe force I could generate without a remote control and blast shield. Absolutely useless. I could just stick a 2x4 in the back door if I just want to keep it open and then at least it would be easier to get out of the way.