Are the roll hoops functional as a roll bar?
 

Or are they merely decorative? They look like “style bars” on the Miata which are not meant to protect driver and passenger.

They're a safety feature.

Definitely functional. It is a properly-reinforced steel bar that attaches to the frame of the vehicle. Part # 986 580 011 01(roll-over bar), page 323 of the parts catalog.

According to PCA they are good enough for the track, so I'd say yes.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1532759223.jpg

They are quite beefy :)

They are PCA track certified, and from what I have heard they are certified with most track events.

Unless you are too tall in the seat to pass the broomstick test, then you need a roll bar extension.i

some tracks require the Brey Krause Roll Bar Extension regardless of driver height, like the track near me (Virginia Int'l Raceway); but most will let you drive as long as the top of the helmet is below the top of the roll-bar.

Ha, ha ... shame on you for thinking Porsche would install "cosmetic" bars.

The fact that anyone would think that just gives credit to how cool they look, though!

I'm curious as to how integral they are to the structural rigidity. Could I go without them for 3-6 months (street) while doing some interior work?

2 in mim distance between the top of the helmet to the top of the roll bar. Hence extensions.Belts stretch.

I'm not an engineer nor do I play one, but my guess based on steved0x photo is they aren't important for structural rigidity

They're critical. It's effectively your B-pillar. Convertibles require reinforcements there (and in the front, around the windshield) since they do not have the hard-top roof providing rigidity.

just to play devil's advocate (and because I really don't know) can you explain the load paths that make it critical for structural integrity. I can understand a small contribution to torsional rigidity but nothing longitudinal.
as an extreme example, this 914 still has the roll hoop intact but is obviously dead


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1583079801.jpg

Rear side impact protection perhaps.....but really the whole structures behaviour needs to be considered

Hasbro, I think you're perfectly fine driving for a while without it.

Hmmm, thanks all. I'll give it a try for a week or so and put it back on. It will eventually be replaced with a custom set up.