They really hold the hatch to the point where you have to pull down with both hands to close it. Care should also be taken when opening the manhole cover as it will fly out with considerable force, strong enough to injure anyone who accidentally leans in the path of the rapidly rising manhole cover. Once you pay attention to these issues, they are fine and I have not been hit in the head with a self-closing sunroof since replacing the original pillars. Just note that these are not "soft" racks like the factory originals and will require a short learning curve to operate them confidently.