Would it be better to do pretty poorly in an AP course like AP Calculus AB than to do really well in a regular Calculus course (Contemp. Calc.)? I’m not sure whether I should go for AP Calculus or regular Calculus.
(I have a high B in Honors Precalculus–around 87%-- right now from beginning of yr-end of yr averages)
Calculus AB is already slower paced than college calculus. So if your major in college requires calculus, the pace of calculus in college may be faster than you will see in calculus AB or an even less rigorous calculus course in high school.
Take calc bc… An 87 in precalc is fine for bc, you will be fine if you work hard and stay focused and commited
Ask your precalc teacher: based on your current performance, does s/he think you can get at least a B in either AP Calc AB or “Contemp. Calc”? Note that a grade below a B will NOT be useful to your application 
Colleges don’t make a difference between Calc AB and Calc BC, except for the super selective ones and only for students who plan to major in a stem field. Even 1/3 of Harvard admits have not taken calculus, although they either have a good reason (like: it’s not offered either at their HS or at a nearby institution) OR they doubled up (typically in a foreign language, because many who double up in science also have calculus).