Chris,
From my experience, the side link cars are easier to cope with on tight or bumpy tracks (remember Middle Village?) but the Tbar cars seem to suit open smooth tracks better.
I'm not a big fan of the new style Associated front end either, but you could always run the old style front end, they're pretty much interchangeable.
I went with the Switchblade because it looked to be the stiffest chassis of all the current crop of 1/12 cars, and I like the front end better than Associated's. The downside is that it's a bit harder to find Trinity parts in most shops. The car does accept Associated Tbars, which should make things easier.
I don't know exactly when Sunday racing is going to pick up at South Shore, but I'm expecting it to be sometime in September or October hopefully. With my current work situation I can't make it out there most Fridays, so I'm looking forward to the indoor season ramping up.
Hope to see you there...
David