I use .018 for everything, hot, cold, in between.
Too much noise means the possiblity of valve bounce and seat recession.
If the idea of temperature seems important to you, then set them cold, and check them hot. They will be the same.
Usually the rocker tips are so badly dented by the stems that an accurate adjustment is nearly impossible. I reprofile the rocker arms sometimes to achieve some semblance of quiet and accuracy.