I think i got the most technical advice on the ffoc but like mentioned above they are rather lame in moderating and have alot of arsy people on there. Couple of good guys what made that forum good for me.

Im currently on the Focusowners and focusstoc and both of them are quite relaxed, focusowners rather too relaxed as sometimes my posts dont even get a reply.

If your getting a Focus ST then deffo focusstoc and be a paid up member, the banks of knowledge and what to do when anything goes wrong is endless. Also in regards to preformace mods, they have great comparison writeups there aswell. I would simply recommend it for just that.
I think you will get characters where ever you go and focusstoc is no exception but i still find it helpful and alive.