The 'touching the ground' thing is not a problem... they aren't like pedals that rotate and get close to the ground.
I have hauled butt thru a few corners with my feet on these new pegs... and they don't come close to the ground (on mine).... they also stick out a good 4 " too.
So... from the standpoint of touching.. you don't need them to pivot...
... but it might make them less painful when they hit your shin or calf.
the other nice thing about them ?
I can stand up on the pegs as I roll along... do that for 2 minutes... your legs get to stretch out and the 'pain in the butt' goes away on a long ride.
The odd thing is ... my feet began doing a 'toe-tap' search for the non-existant R brake and gearshift as I slowed for stops ... my feet are trained to ride a motorcycle.