My info says if the owner's manual says to use regular, then your wasting your money buying premium.
If your vehicle knocked or pinged using regular, switching to premium should help. If the knock sensor detected a knock, it should retard the timing a little, if it is retarded too much, you would notice a performance issue. I can't say that the difference you feel is a timing issue, I don't know.
There is a higher detergent gasoline, called " top tier gasoline ", they say it will help performance, supposed to clean injector and intake valve deposits, better than the other gasolines. Gasoline is so high around here, I get the cheapest stuff I can find.