It's the opposite. Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) is or is about 1.7 times stronger than Ritalin (methylphenidate). So you can think of 40 mg of Focalin as in the neighborhood of 68 mg of Ritalin. This may not be true for everyone, but in my experience the effects of Focalin and Ritalin (especially recreationally) are so dissimilar that the fact that they are both in the methylphenidate family is mostly an academic point.
I have only taken instant release Focalin, but in my opinion it is infinitely better recreationally than Ritalin, specifically when snorted. I should add the caveat that, when I have had the chance to snort Ritalin, it's only been with 5 mg pills. In contrast, with Focalin I mostly snorted the 10 mg instant release pills, the strongest instant release pills available (think: roughly equivalent to 17 mg of Ritalin). This dosage distinction is significant because it means that the sheer amount of powder I have had to snort with Ritalin made it pretty much impossible to snort a comparable amount of drugs within a comparable timeframe. Even so, I think my point stands, as I have observed marked differences orally as well.
Focalin is much smoother and more euphoric (many others have made the same observation). There is less of the edgy irritability and tweakiness. My general understanding is that pretty much all the good effects of methylphenidate come from the dextrorotary enantiomer and most of the negative/tweaky effects come from the levorotary enantiomer. If that's true, it would make sense that Focalin is better. Of course, if you binge Focalin enough or get addicted, you get the same negative side effects and comedown effects you get from other uppers. I have found Ritalin, even in high doses, to be relatively disappointing in terms of euphoria. However, I do think it is a good drug for focus and productivity. The difference between Focalin and Ritalin is great enough for me that, if I were buying one or the other for the purpose of getting high, I would probably pay twice as much for a comparable amount of Focalin.
As for comedowns (not that you asked), I don't think there is any getting around the fact that stimulant comedowns suck ass. The best way i know of to deal with the comedowns is to cushion them with anything that tends to relieve anxiety -- namely opiates, alcohol, and/or benzos. At this point, I pretty much never get high on stimulants without using downers or opiates as well. So I find that one of the dangers of stimulants is that they tend to promote polysubstance abuse. Some of it may be placebo for me. I need to know psychologically that I have some chemical to deal with the comedown if it gets too bad. That said, if I had access to Focalin, the lack of a comedown cushioner wouldn't stop me from using it. My subjective experience of the comedown is that I come down from the positive psychological effects well before I come down from the physiological arousal. When you are mentally euphoric and physically energetic, it's awesome. But when you are depressed or irritable or anxious or paranoid, being physically wound up is a terrible feeling. It sucks when all you want is to go to sleep, and your brain is in sleep mode, but you know your body won't let you sleep anytime soon.
For me, Focalin was a hell of a drug, which made it dangerous and addictive. So my advice is don't abuse this shit. But if you do, hopefully some of this info is helpful.